Nur-Sultan, February 11, 2021 – As part of the endeavours to promote greater bilateral cooperation in the consular sphere, the first meeting of the Kazakh-Swiss consular consultations was held online, with the participation of representatives of the ministries of justice and heads of diplomatic missions of the two countries.
The Kazakh delegation was headed by the Director of the Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Bauyrzhan Akatayev, while the Swiss delegation was headed by the Deputy Director General of the Consular Directorate of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Laurent Perriard.
In his welcoming address, Johannes Matyassy, Deputy Secretary of State and Director General of the Consular Directorate of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, noted that the organization of these consultations during the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic is a vivid example of the parties’ commitment to the progressive development of friendly ties between the two countries.
During the talks, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of interaction within the framework of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, expanding the bilateral legal framework and the use of modern digital technologies in the provision of public services.
The discussions focused on the enhancement of interaction on the protection of the rights and interests of citizens, which has gained particular urgency during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as consideration of consular and legal topics in the field of documents processing and issuance of apostilles.
During the meeting, the parties briefed each other on the measures taken by them to ensure the digitalization of public services, a phase-out of paper-based processing of citizens’ appeals, and harmonization of the regulatory framework.
The participants also considered the prospects for organizing joint training and seminars on digitalization, taking into account Switzerland’s achievements in this field.
At the end of the event, the parties confirmed their readiness to further strengthen the cooperation across the entire spectrum of consular relations.
