October 22, 2013

Kazakhstan, OIE enter agreement on animal diseases control

Kazakhstan and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at supporting the prevention and control of animal diseases in the country and the sub-region.

The agreement was signed by the director general of OIE, Bernard Vallat, and Kazakhstan's minister of agriculture, Mamytbekov A.S, in the presence of Prime Minister Serik Nigmetovich Akhmetov. The development paves the way for the establishment of a new OIE representation with diplomatic status based in the capital city of Astana.

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan has underlined that Veterinary Services of Kazakhstan and Middle Asian countries, together with OIE representatives, will develop in particular a general strategy for foot and mouth disease (FMD) control.

The OIE Sub Regional FMD coordination Unit Office in Astana will also facilitate the development of middle and long term partnerships between the OIE and Kazakhstan, such as the twinning between the National Veterinary Reference Centre, Astana, and the OIE Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 'G. Caporale' CESME, Teramo (Italy), in the field of brucellosis diagnostic.

Further collaborations in the framework of the cooperation agreement between the OIE and Kazakhstan are thus expected before the end of the year, such as the collaboration agreement to upgrade the Kazakh veterinary legislation; and a twinning project on veterinary education between the Kazakh National Agrarian University of Almaty coordinating a consortium of Kazakh Universities and the National Veterinary School of Toulouse (France).

"This agreement is a great step and a first achievement on the path to the control of animal diseases in the Eurasian region, in which Kazakhstan is deemed to play an important role" said Vallat.