ALMATY – Kazakhstan and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation and advancing democratic reforms in a joint statement issued on Sept. 30 in Strasbourg. “We support the efforts of Kazakhstan to accede to relevant Council of Europe conventions, and value our joint commitment to promoting human rights, rule of law and democracy,” the document read. The statement was released during the autumn session of PACE, where Ashimbayev participated in discussions on Kazakhstan’s reform agenda and prospects for expanding cooperation with the Council of Europe. On the sidelines of the session, he met with Roussopoulos, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, and PACE rapporteur on Kazakhstan Zsolt Németh. They also emphasized the importance of social integration processes and the growing role of Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court in safeguarding human rights.