ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko met with a delegation of the Council of Europe (CoE) headed by Director of Programme Coordination of the Council of Europe Claus Neukirch. The meeting was attended by diplomats from several EU and CoE member states, Kazinform cites the press service of the Kazakh MFA.

The parties discussed current issues and prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and the CoE, including Kazakhstan’s efforts to accede to the Council of Europe conventions on combating corruption, computer crime and domestic violence.

Deputy Minister Vassilenko highlighted that the political reforms of the Head of State have opened a new stage in the development of Kazakhstan and laid a solid foundation for further democratic reforms in the country. In this context, he expressed Kazakhstan’s keen interest in further strengthening cooperation with the Council of Europe as a unique organization dedicated to the promotion of democratic processes, protection of human rights and the rule of law.

Neukirch informed on the outcomes of the Second Regional Steering Committee Meeting of the Council of Europe and the European Union joint program «The Rule of Law in Central Asia for 2020-2023» held on 26-27 June in Astana.

The parties also discussed further plans for the implementation of CoE initiatives and projects in Kazakhstan, carried out in alignment with the mutually agreed-upon plans.

For reference: The Rule of Law in Central Asia Program (2020-2023) is a joint program based on the partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Union and the shared values of the two organizations.

The Program is open to all Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) that wish to benefit from the Council of Europe's experience and meet the conditions for cooperation in accordance with the Council of Europe's policy on neighboring regions. Overall, the Program aims to promote human rights, the rule of law and democracy in accordance with European and other international standards.

Kazakhstan is not a member of the CoE, uniting 46 states, but is a member of four CoE conventions («On the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region» (No. 165); «The European Cultural Convention» (No. 018); «On Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime» (No. 141); «On Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters» (No. 127).