Council of Europe Secretary General, Alain Berset is making an official visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, on 29-30 May. He will have a series of high-level bilateral meetings, participate in the Astana International Forum, and open the conference on the Council of Europe Neighbourhood Co-Operation Priorities with Kazakhstan 2024-2027 held in the framework of the Forum.
On 29 May the Secretary General will speak at the opening of the Plenary session of the Astana International Forum, along with the President of Kazakhstan and other high-level participants. During the visit, Alain Berset will meet with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Speaker of the Parliament Maulen Ashimbayev, Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, as well as Justice Minister Yerlan Sarsembayev.
During his high-level meetings, the Secretary General will stress the importance of reaching out beyond the Council of Europe member States to promote multilateralism and democratic security in the current context of major new challenges and geopolitical upheavals.
Kazakhstan is a long-standing partner of the Council of Europe and a leading Central Asian partner in the framework of the Council of Europe's policy towards neighbouring regions. The Council of Europe values Kazakhstan's commitment to work under the Council of Europe conventions to which it is a party, and to accede to new ones; this would contribute to the establishment of a common legal space.
On 30 May the Secretary General will participate in a one-on-one session of the Astana International Forum to discuss challenges to democracy and human rights in Europe and beyond, and how the Council of Europe can help address them, including through its New Democratic Pact for Europe.
Earlier on the same day the Secretary General will open the Conference on the Council of Europe Neighbourhood Co-Operation Priorities with Kazakhstan 2024-2027. Developed jointly with the Kazakh authorities, these priorities aim to consolidate the support provided by the Council of Europe to Kazakhstan in the process of democratic reforms and in tackling challenges related to human rights, the rule of law and democracy.
The main objective of the conference is to present the achievements of the first year of implementation of the Neighbourhood Co-operation Priorities and to define the priority areas for future collaboration. The new areas of collaboration under this framework include, in the field of human rights, advancing the prevention of ill-treatment, combating violence against women, promoting the protection of children's rights, as well as building the capacity of legal professionals. In the field of democracy, the new co-operation framework will support Kazakhstan's decentralisation process and efforts to strengthen the role of its Parliament in promoting democracy and human rights, through Council of Europe expertise.
During the visit, the Secretary General will also address students of Nazarbayev University and conduct several bilateral meetings with other high-level participants of the Astana International Forum.
