The 12th meeting of the dialogue platform "Kazakhstan-European Union" with the participation of leaders of central government agencies and representatives of the diplomatic corps was held in Astana, chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov.

In his speech the Head of Government noted that the expansion of partnership with the European Union is one of the priorities of Kazakhstan. The Republic is interested in using all available opportunities for further expansion of trade, economic and investment cooperation. In particular, promising areas here are green transition and strengthening of transport interconnectivity.

The Prime Minister stressed that the environmental agenda is one of the key issues in the sustainable development of Kazakhstan's economy. So, by 2030 the country plans to increase the share of renewable energy sources in its energy balance from the current 4.5% to 15%.

"Taking into account the experience and achievements of European countries in alternative energy, we are interested in the implementation of new joint projects," Alikhan Smailov said.

He added that the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of value chains of sustainable raw materials, batteries and green hydrogen, signed last year, was a landmark event in this direction. The partnership in this area has already been supported by concrete steps: a major project of Svevind on production of green hydrogen in the Mangystau region was launched on 21 June.

The Prime Minister also noted the increasing role of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) in the sphere of transit-transport cooperation. Today Kazakhstan together with other participants of the route is actively working on the synchronous elimination of bottlenecks in the Middle Corridor. At the same time, the republic is ready to work together with European partners to connect the Middle Corridor with the Trans-European Transport Network and the Global Gateway initiative.

"In general, Kazakhstan and the European Union have a wide range of opportunities for further deepening partnerships in the areas of green economy, transport and logistics," Alikhan Smailov stressed.

The Head of Government also informed his European colleagues in detail about the agreements and signed agreements on the development of TITR during his recent official visits to Azerbaijan and Georgia.

EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kęstutis Jankauskas said that relations between the European Union and Kazakhstan are developing very dynamically, with the implementation of new projects in the field of renewable energy and the strengthening of transport interconnections being among the key areas for joint work in the future.

"Climate change is a global threat. The European Union has repeatedly stated its commitment to transition to a zero-emissions economy by 2050. We would also like to support Kazakhstan on this path through concrete projects of our companies and banks," Kęstutis Jankauskas said.

He also praised regional initiatives to develop transport infrastructure and optimize logistics processes to increase cargo turnover along the Middle Corridor.

The participants of the meeting discussed in detail topical issues in the field of logistics and transport, including elimination of administrative and infrastructural barriers, RES development, transition to environmentally friendly fuels, and a number of others.

The event was also attended by the Ambassadors of Finland and Romania to Kazakhstan, representatives of Globalia LTD, Deutsche Bahn and Scania Central Asia LLP. Leaders of the central government agencies and national companies of the republic made comments on the issues voiced.

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