Europees Parlement: onderhandelingen partnerschap Kazachstan afhankelijk van politieke hervormingen (en)

Parliament condemned the violent crackdown against demonstrators in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan in December 2011 and warned that negotiations on the EU's new partnership and cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan will depend on progress with political reforms.

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs demand a proper investigation into December's events. They point to reports of human rights abuses, including torture of detainees, and restrictions on religious and media freedoms and note that the general elections in January did not meet OSCE standards.

Parliament stresses the importance of EU-Kazakhstan relations and points to the mutual benefits of deeper cooperation, while emphasising that economic cooperation must go hand in hand with political cooperation.

REF. : 20120315IPR40864