Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is making his first official visit to Astana for meetings with the President of Kazakhstan, the Speaker of the Majilis (Lower House) of the Parliament, Secretary of State, Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Prosecutor General, Foreign Minister as well as other Ministers. The visit provided a good opportunity to give a new impetus to the relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe, intensifying the mutual relationship beyond the already fruitful cooperation and institutional relations with the PACE and the Venice Commission towards a more advanced cooperation in a number of areas mutually agreed by the two sides. (more...)

Speech by Secretary General at the Nazarbayev University, Astana, 11 October 2011