The session was chaired by Dr. Majed Ali Al Mansoori, Director of the Foreign Nationals Affairs Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), and Bauyrzhan Akatayev, Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Dr. Majed Al Mansoori conveyed the greetings of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and his praise of the strong bilateral relations between the two countries in the consular field and his wishes of success for the meeting.
Dr. Al Mansoori stressed the importance of cooperation in the consular field and its role in advancing and bolstering relations between the two countries. He praised the positive developments achieved during this year in terms of bilateral consular relations despite the challenges resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic and thanked both sides for efforts exerted to provide outstanding consular services and facilitate the movement of citizens of the two countries.
Bauyrzhan Akatayev praised the leading position the UAE holds at the regional and international levels, and its pivotal economic and commercial role, and stressed that his country seeks to bolster consular cooperation to serve the citizens of both friendly countries.
During the meeting, Al Mansoori affirmed the UAE's keenness on bolstering and developing relations between their countries, reflecting the aspirations and orientations of the high leadership. He added that relations between UAE and Kazakhstan have witnessed qualitative shifts in various fields from energy to investment and trade, and scientific and technical space discovery, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992.
For his part, Akatayev praised the development of bilateral relations between the two countries over the past years, especially in the field of consular cooperation and particularly during the global COVID-19 crisis. He praised the experience of the UAE, which boasts one of the pioneering experiences in this field, stressing that his country aspires to develop cooperation and exchange experiences with the UAE in this area, to the benefit of the citizens of both countries, and to strengthen their bilateral ties.
The meeting was attended by representatives from various departments at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Republic Kazakhstan, who tackled a number of consular subjects of common interest.