The Minister of Justice and Public Order Ms Anna Koukkidi Prokopiou had a meeting with the Ambassador of Kazakhstan Mr Satybaldy Burshakov. Mr. Burshakov was accompanied by the Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan in Cyprus, Mr. George Lakkotrypi, and members of the Embassy.
The Minister of Justice and Public Order referred to the existing agreements between the two countries and stressed that both the Agreement on Extradition and the Agreement on Mutual Legal Cooperation have been ratified by the Cypriot Parliament and are awaiting ratification by Kazakhstan.
Burshakov said there was a slight delay due to the recent elections in his country but ratification is expected very soon. The discussion also referred to the bilateral Convict Transfer Agreement, the text of which is almost finalised. Mr. Burshakov extended an invitation to the Minister of Justice to visit Kazakhstan when the two countries are ready to sign this agreement.
Mr. Burshakov presented the recent political reforms in his country and spoke about the important role Kazakhstan plays in the strategically important region of Central Asia. He went on to say that bilateral trade with the European Union and Cyprus is increasing, especially due to the sanctions imposed on Russia.
During the meeting, reference was made to the actions Kazakhstan is taking in relation to Afghanistan, especially after the withdrawal of US forces from the country, in an effort to stabilize the country through, among other things, the provision of humanitarian aid and scholarships.
The Minister of Justice thanked the Ambassador for the very useful briefing and confirmed the close cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and Kazakhstan over the years, adding that, in the field of Justice, the Ministry is always open for cooperation in the areas of its competence.
(AF/EXP)
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