BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5. Prospects for
expanding municipal cooperation between Kazakhstan and Paris, as
well as joint initiatives in business, culture and education, were
discussed on October 2 at a meeting between the Ambassador of
Kazakhstan to France, Gulsara Arystankulova, and the mayors of
Paris’s 8th and 17th arrondissements, Catherine Lécuyer and
Geoffroy Boulard.


This was announced today by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.


According to the Ministry, the meeting was held in the context
of the upcoming fifth anniversary of the Cooperation Pact between
Astana and Paris.


Arystankulova introduced the French side to the political and
institutional reforms aimed at further modernizing the state,
strengthening its institutions and ensuring sustainable
socio-economic development.


Particular attention was paid to Kazakhstan’s foreign policy,
based on a balanced and constructive approach, as well as to the
prospects for further strengthening the strategic partnership
between Kazakhstan and France.


The French side expressed interest in modern Kazakhstan, the
transformations taking place in the country, as well as its
domestic and foreign policy.







In the context of the upcoming fifth anniversary of the
Cooperation Pact between Astana and Paris, the parties discussed
prospects for expanding municipal cooperation and implementing
joint initiatives in the business, cultural and educational
fields.


Following the meeting, the parties identified concrete areas for
further cooperation and agreed to jointly develop a number of
events and initiatives for the period ahead.


The 8th arrondissement, with a population of around 35,000, is
one of Paris’s 20 administrative districts and a key business,
diplomatic and administrative area of the French capital. It is
home to major government, diplomatic, cultural and business
institutions, including the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the French
Republic.


Located in north-western Paris, the 17th arrondissement is one
of the capital’s major residential and business districts, with a
population of around 200,000. For the past three years, the Embassy
has been implementing the “Қазақ ауылы” (“Kazakh Village”) project
in the arrondissement.