The EU has been urged to “move faster” on turning current co-operation with Kazakhstan into “concrete action”.

The message was delivered by the Kazakhstan Ambassador to Belgium, Roman Vassilenko (pictured). He is also Head of Mission to the EU and NATO.

He was speaking at Brussels Press Club on current and future relations between the two sides.

The ambassador conceded that the country has “learned a long time ago” to navigate what he called the “Brussels machinery”. Quizzed about dealing with a 27-strong Union, he replied: “Yes, it would have been simpler if there was just one decision-making centre but having 27 is also a strength of the EU.”

He said, though, that he would like to see faster co-operation on “connectivity”, which he called one of the “hottest issues” on the current agenda.

As an example, he recalled that two years ago Brussels hosted the first investors forum which ended with some €10m being pledged by the EU (and others) into the development of “soft” and  “hard” infrastructure projects in Central Asia, including in his own country.

He said: “If I was asked where we are now and what we have done in these last two years I would say we are still in the early stages of implementing these different commitments.”

He added: “We cannot say we have not moved but we are just started moving forward. There may be a lot of bureaucratic  reasons for this, for example the need for visibility studies for this project and for that project, but we do need to speed up these considerations as much as possible.

“There is a need to build up our capacities now and to work as fast as possible to implement these projects.”

The briefing, called Kazakhstan — EU: Where Next After 10 Years of Enhanced Partnership?, comes as the two sides celebrate the 10th anniversary of the EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

The ambassador, a former deputy minister in in his country, was also asked about Kazakhstan being able to guarantee oil supplies to Europe, an issue that has become more ever more urgent in light of the current poor relations between Russia and the EU and possible threats to energy supplies.

On this, he pointed out that his country produces some 100m tonnes  of oil per year and exports 80 percent of this.

Of this, no less than 95percent is exported to Europe.

The largest share of oil exports goes via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, or CPC, and even during the Ukraine conflict, this pipeline, he said, had been “instrumental” in safeguarding Kazakh energy exports.

It transports oil from the Tengiz oil field in Kazakhstan, through Russia, to the CPC Marine Terminal near Novorossiysk on the Black Sea for export to global markets. 

“It is important,” he added, “that this information is shared with all decision makers because this is the artery that brings oil to Europe and it needs to be protected from any negative aspects.”

He also pointed out that his country produces no less than 21 of the 34 elements in raw materials and is also rich in uranium, meeting no less than 40 percent of of global uranium needs.

Asked where he thinks the EU-Kazakh relationship might be in 10 years’  time he said he was optimistic that it will grow even more.

Speaking on 24 November, the experienced diplomat said that “people to people” ties will further strengthen the partnership, along with the Middle Corridor, a major transportation route linking central Asia to Europe.

Visa reform will, he hopes, make travel for his country’s citizens to the EU much easier.

He added: “As a result of continued cooperation our own economy will also become more technological advanced and resilient.”

He concluded: “I am happy with the cooperation now but in ten years I hope it can be even more robust and productive.”

“We are very much looking forward to future close co-operation.

On the issue of regional co-operation, he said: “In central Asia we believe that we succeed or we fail together so, yes, we are keen to cooperation and Kazakhstan has long argued for deeper cooperation in central Asia.

“I can say with some pleasure that things are moving forward in our cooperation with all five central Asian states and would point out that inter-regional trade now stands at $11 billion rising from 5bn US dollars in 2018.”