Kazakhstan’s Ak Jol Democratic Party considers that Kazakhstan should implement the European way of development, European approaches to relations between the government and society, European quality of life standards, an independent online news media, Vlast.kz, reported on February 1. 

“Therefore, Ak Jol plans to raise in the future the issue of Kazakhstan’s accession to the European Union,” the party leader Azat Peruashev stated yesterday at the party’s 21st congress.  

“Our choice -- the choice of the Ak Jol Democratic Party -- is the European way of development…  As the leader “Alash” Alikhan Baimenov wrote, we see the future in joining the best achievements of Western states,” Peruashev stated.  

Moreover, as a forward-looking basis Ak-Jol considers not only introduction of European approaches but also, sometime in the future, raising the issue of Kazakhstan’s accession to the European Union, Ak Jol leader added.   

The Ak Jol Democratic Party, commonly referred to simply as Ak Jol, is a liberal-conservative political party in Kazakhstan.  The party is loyal to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and his part of the pro-Tokayev People's Coalition

The Ak Jol was founded in 2002 when a group of moderates split from the more radical Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement, founded in November 2001 by anti-Nazarbayev activists.  The new more moderate party ran on a pro-reform, pro-business platform, and in contrast to the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement, its leaders refrained from openly confronting Nursultan Nazarbayev.  The party was founded by Oraz Jandosov, Bulat Abılov and Alikhan Baimenov.  Former Information Minister Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly later joined the party in 2003.

Kazakhstan is the large Central Asian country stretching across the boundary between Europe and Asia.  Kazakhstan has signed an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement with the EU, and made a bid for membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).   Since 2008, Kazakhstan has emerged as one of the OECD's most active partners in the Eurasia region, working with the Organization to improve the quality of its social, economic and environmental policies and institutions.