In the face of the current crisis which no country or organisation can face alone, a global strategy to protect the rule of law in our democracies is indispensable, and multilateralism and co-operation should be at the heart of this strategy. This was the key message delivered by the Council of Europe Secretary General, Alain Berset, to his high-level interlocutors during the official two-day visit to Kazakhstan which concluded today.
Speaking at the opening of the Plenary session of the Astana International Forum, Secretary General emphasised the need for a democratic security strategy for Europe and beyond. "There is no longer 'hard' or 'soft' security, only the urgent need to defend what holds us together," he said.
"Democratic security means making our values - democracy, human rights, and the rule of law - our first line of defence," Berset argued. "Europe's values do not stop at our borders, and the Council of Europe was never just about lines on a map," he stressed. "We must stand with all those who are building democratic security - in Central Asia, in Europe, and far beyond," concluded Secretary General.
During the visit, Alain Berset met with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Speaker of the Parliament Maulen Ashimbayev, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, as well as Justice Minister Yerlan Sarsembayev.
In his bilateral meetings, Secretary General stressed that Kazakhstan is a long-standing and leading Central Asian partner in the framework of the Council of Europe's policy towards neighbouring regions. He commended Kazakhstan for the progress made in constitutional and political reforms, stressed that Kazakhstan was already a party to four Council of Europe conventions and had been invited to accede to further key treaties - on violence against women, corruption, cybercrime. Kazakhstan also completed the last step as to the Convention on money laundering and financing of terrorism, which was positively highlighted by the Secretary General. The AI Convention has raised a lot of interest from the side of Kazakh authorities who are developing an AI hub in Astana.
During the official visit, several bilateral meetings with other high-level participants of the Astana International Forum were conducted, including with the President of Rwanda, Mr Paul Kagame.
Opening the Conference on the Council of Europe Neighbourhood Co-Operation Priorities with Kazakhstan 2024-2027, Secretary General said:
"The partnership between Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe goes back many years. As the Neighbourhood Co-operation Priorities for Kazakhstan framework grows in depth and ambition, we are laying the foundations for lasting democratic reform, in line with the country's vision for a just and fair Kazakhstan."
He highlighted the new priorities of the Council of Europe's cooperation with the country, aligned with Kazakhstan's national reform agenda. They centre around five areas: human rights (preventing ill-treatment, safeguarding children, confronting violence against women), economic crime (strengthening the capacity of national authorities to address the recommendations of the Council of Europe's anti-corruption body GRECO); cybercrime (aligning national laws with Council of Europe standards and strengthening the capacity to investigate cybercrime and handle electronic evidence); justice (ensuring independency, efficiency and accessibility of courts), as well as supporting the Parliament of Kazakhstan in promoting democratic governance.
Secretary General also met with students of Nazarbayev University where he spoke about disinformation as a threat to European democracy, "an assault on trust, on truth, on democracy itself". Fake videos, fake documents, AI deepfakes, - all this disinformation in action is designed to divide and to damage democracy, he explained. This should serve as a wake-up call and a guide for action. A convention on disinformation and foreign influence could be a common legal standard to regulate the platforms, challenge the business models, and protect the public space - for the sake of preserving democracy, Berset suggested. It is a part of a wider reflection through the New Democratic Pact for Europe, he added.
