Thirty-Three Years of Partnership: A Relationship That Has Come of Age

[ad_1] By Roman Vassilenko, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the European Union

The 2nd of February marks the thirty third anniversary of the institution of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union. Thirty-three just isn't merely a quantity. It's an age related to maturity, confidence, and the flexibility to look each backwards with appreciation and ahead with goal. In some ways, this completely captures the state of Kazakhstan-EU relations right now.

When Kazakhstan and the European Union first established diplomatic ties within the early Nineteen Nineties, each had been navigating moments of historic transformation. Kazakhstan had simply emerged as an impartial state, charting its course in a quickly altering world. The European Union, too, was deepening its integration and redefining its international position. What started as a cautious dialogue has, over 33 years, developed right into a complete, resilient, and forward-looking partnership.

At thirty-three, relationships are not outlined by experimentation however by belief constructed by means of expertise. Over greater than three many years, Kazakhstan and the EU have learnt to work collectively throughout political dialogue, commerce and funding, vitality, connectivity, training, local weather cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

Our Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Settlement, signed in 2015, covers 29 areas of interplay and stands as a testomony to this maturity, offering a structured and bold framework that displays the depth of our engagement. This evolution reached a brand new milestone on the First Central Asia–EU Summit in Samarkand in April 2025, the place leaders affirmed a shared strategic imaginative and prescient for deeper regional and interregional cooperation.

The European Union is Kazakhstan’s largest buying and selling companion and international investor, whereas Kazakhstan is a key companion for the EU in Central Asia. In 2025, commerce turnover reached $45 billion, and the EU has invested greater than $200 billion since 2005. Presently, over 4 thousand European corporations function in Kazakhstan, together with Alstom, Claas, Carlsberg, Polpharma, TotalEnergies, Siemens, Airbus, and others.

These details are important, however numbers alone don't inform the total story. What issues equally is the shared understanding that our cooperation just isn't transactional, however strategic – and unmistakably human – rooted in mutual respect, widespread pursuits, and a dedication to multilateralism, worldwide legislation, and sustainable growth.

At 33, one additionally beneficial properties the boldness to face challenges overtly. The previous few years have examined international stability, provide chains, and established assumptions about safety and cooperation. On this context, Kazakhstan and the EU have demonstrated the flexibility to have interaction in sincere dialogue, search pragmatic options, and reaffirm shared ideas. Because the Kazakh proverb says, “Eski dos – eki jana dostan artyq” – that means “an outdated buddy is price greater than two new ones”, reflecting the enduring belief and shared expertise that underpins our partnership. European Council President Antonio Costa’s go to to Kazakhstan in December 2025 additional bolstered this trajectory, highlighting the political will on either side to translate shared priorities into concrete outcomes.

Our cooperation on sustainable growth, inexperienced and digital transition, vital uncooked supplies, and regional connectivity displays a joint dedication to adapt and lead, reasonably than react.

There's something symbolic about turning 33: it's an age when one understands that progress is steady. Over time, I've seen Kazakhstan’s partnership with the European Union develop right into a mature and forward-looking relationship, the place ambition is grounded in expertise and optimism is bolstered by actual progress.

At the moment, Kazakhstan stands on the verge of a deep and wide-ranging constitutional reform, concurrently it continues to pursue its balanced and constructive international coverage, looking for to contribute to the institution of a good international order.

In the meantime, the EU, dealing with the unprecedented upheaval in a few of its extra conventional relationships, seeks to deepen its engagement with like-minded companions across the globe, together with with Central Asia.

We're, due to this fact, certain to work even nearer collectively, as shared tasks and converging pursuits make cooperation not solely fascinating but in addition obligatory, notably in vital areas reminiscent of transport connectivity, agriculture, inexperienced and digital transformation, training, and the strengthening of ties between our societies.

Marking 33 years of diplomatic relations is, due to this fact, not solely a second to replicate on how far now we have come but in addition to look forward with shared confidence. We're satisfied that the years forward will deliver our partnership and societies even nearer, guided by dialogue, belief, and a shared perception within the lasting worth of cooperation and friendship.