Kazakhstan and Latvia Intensify Efforts to Deepen Economic Partnership

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu within the framework of a working trip to Rome held a series of meetings with the heads of major Italian companies interested in the development of investment, trade and economic cooperation with Kazakhstan, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

At the meeting with Stefan Pontecorvo, President of the transnational company "Leonardo", the parties addressed the possibilities of realization of projects in the spheres of aviation industry and agro-industrial complex. The Italian side proposed a system of management of agriculture related to water, soil fertility for the rational use of natural resources, as well as mining on the basis of aerospace technology. Pontecorvo noted that Kazakhstan is a strategic partner and a priority country for the implementation of projects.

Opportunities for cooperation in the production of personal protective equipment, including respiratory protection equipment, and localization of production of key elements of safety equipment in Kazakhstan were discussed with the President of Dpi Sekur Vittorio De Blaziis.

During the talks with the General Director of "PetrolValves S.p.A" Sandro Malkori, the parties discussed the expansion of investment activities of this company in Kazakhstan. In particular, the manufacturer of high-tech valves plans to increase production volumes and increase the Kazakhstani content in its products.

The meeting with the general director of "Agroittica" company Carla Sora was devoted to the realization of the investment project on cultivation of sturgeon species of fish in Kazakhstan. "Agroittica" is a major producer of sturgeon fish farming and black caviar production.

During talks with the President of the "Curator" company, Fabio Pompei, the parties considered the prospects for expanding cooperation in the field of water resources management. "Curator" is interested in the implementation of the projects on digitalization of water supply systems, reducing energy consumption required for water distribution, as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The Kazakh Foreign Minister also held a meeting with the General Director of NEOS Airlines in Kazakhstan, President of the Italian-Kazakh Trade Association Marco Beretta. The project "Road to Kazakhstan", aiming at raising public awareness of Kazakhstan in Italy and promoting our country as a major tourist and cultural center in the region was presented to the Minister Murat Nurtleu.

 

Kazakhstan is interested in further deepening cooperation with Finland and wishes Suomi success in chairing the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2025. This was noted during the meeting of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko with Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Kazakhstan Soili Mäkeläinen-Buhanist, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

The meeting focused on the issues of Kazakh-Finnish cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres, as well as interaction within the OSCE and other international structures.

The parties underlined the importance of maintaining an active political dialogue at the highest and high level between Kazakhstan and Finland.

According to Deputy Minister Vassilenko, the recent telephone conversation between President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Finland Alexander Stubb confirmed Astana and Helsinki share mutual intentions to strengthen contacts and collaboration across the whole spectrum of Kazakh-Finnish relations.

Considering further development of partnership in the economic sphere, the diplomats welcomed the results of the visit of Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio to Kazakhstan and the 13th meeting of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation held in Astana on April 11, 2024.

Furthermore, the parties had an in-depth discussion of the key issues of engagement within the OSCE agenda and Finnish priorities during the Chairpersonship of the Organization in 2025, marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.

The Kazakh side expressed readiness to support Finland’s efforts to enhance Organization’s potential in all three dimensions - the politico-military, the economic and environmental, and the human ones.

The parties underlined the indispensable role of the OSCE in tackling the ongoing regional and global challenges in the area of its responsibility, and they also reaffirmed the intention to further promote the Kazakh-Finnish partnership.

 

Kazakhstan delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu took part in the III Ministerial Conference "Central Asia + Italy", press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

During the event, the parties discussed topical issues of the regional agenda, cooperation in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, transportation, logistics and green energy.

In his speech, Minister Murat Nurtleu noted that today Central Asia is a dynamically developing region with its own vision of geopolitical realities and broad trade and economic opportunities.

As Murat Nurtleu noted, the meeting in Rome is very timely and provides an opportunity to discuss practical steps and identify new areas of cooperation between Italy and the countries of the Central Asian region.

In his turn, Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic, called for active interaction in such important areas as transport interconnectivity, energy, climate change and education.

The Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Terhi Hakala, also made presentations during the conference.

In addition, the III Ministerial Conference "Central Asia + Italy" included thematic sessions on water and energy cooperation, global connectivity and higher education, which were attended by representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Energy, "NC "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy" JSC and higher education institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

 

At the initiative of the Kazakh side, consultations of the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were held in Rome within the framework of the III Ministerial Conference "Central Asia - Italy", press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

During the meeting, the sides discussed issues of interaction within the format of Consultative Meetings of the Heads of Central Asian states. The participants noted the importance of further expansion of comprehensive cooperation in political, trade-economic, investment, transit-transport and cultural-humanitarian spheres in the spirit of friendship, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership.

Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu emphasized that such events have become an important factor in international politics, allowing to determine the future vector of development of the region in a trusting manner.

The ministers "compared notes" on topical issues of regional and international agenda of mutual interest. The sides also discussed the prospects of interaction within the framework of multilateral structures and formats of CA+.

 

The first "Central Asia - GCC" Investment Forum was held in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the city of Riyadh, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

The Kazakh side was represented by the Governor of the AIFC Renat Bekturov, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the KSA Madiyar Menilbekov, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Development Bank of Kazakhstan JSC Botagoz Abisheva, the Co-Chairman of the Kazakh-Saudi Business Council - General Director of Greywolf LLP Kanat Kudaibergen, General Director of Kazakhstan Investment Development Fund (KIDF) JSC Marat Tulebayev, Chairman of the Business Council of Kazakhstan in Dubai Daulet Zhumabay, as well as managers and representatives of more than 20 Kazakh companies, such as "White hill capital", "Tumar Venture Fund", "KMG PetroChem", "AQS limited", "PRO-IT Qazaqstan", etc.

AIFC Governor Renat Bekturov during the the ministerial meeting of the "Central Asia - GCC" forum noted the strategic importance of intensifying cooperation between the public and private sectors of the two regions. He focused on the enormous potential of the Gulf market for strengthening trade and economic relations with Kazakhstan, as well as the unlimited prospects for expanding investment partnerships.

The head of the Kazakh delegation emphasized that the Central Asian and GCC countries have significant opportunities to further deepen contacts in such sectors of the economy as green energy, food security, transport and logistics, mining, petrochemicals, agriculture, finance and tourism.

At the same time, other representatives of government bodies and business circles of the Central Asian and GCC countries presented economic and investment proposals, exchanged views on the most important issues of the bilateral and multilateral agenda, and also discussed ways to implement strategically important projects in various areas.

Separate thematic panel sessions were organized for forum participants in the following areas: agriculture and food security, mining and metals industry, development and infrastructure, renewable and green energy. Kazakh companies took an active part in these panel sessions and had the opportunity to conduct practical negotiations with the business community of the Central Asian and Gulf countries. For the potential investors were presented the investment opportunities of Kazakhstan, government support measures and new approaches used in attracting investments.

On the sidelines of the forum, the Governor of the AIFC Renat Bekturov met with Minister of Investment KSA Khalid Al-Falih. Renat Bekturov noted that, despite the geopolitical situation in the world, comprehensive relations between Astana and Riyadh continue to actively develop. The serious interest of the business circles of the two countries in bringing cooperation to a real mutually beneficial plane serves as a solid basis for this. Saudi companies were invited to Kazakhstan to study the potential of our country with the subsequent establishment of joint ventures.

In turn, Khalid Al-Falih noted the high interest of the Kingdom’s leadership in strengthening multifaceted ties with Kazakhstan, which is seen as the leader of the Central Asian region. "Kazakhstan is the largest country with a huge territory, rich reserves of natural resources and high human capital. Saudi Arabia, like Kazakhstan, today seeks to diversify its economy and is interested in expanding the country’s investment potential, and in this context, the unique experience of AIFC in attracting foreign capital is of great interest," said the Saudi Minister.

In addition, Renat Bekturov held bilateral meetings with Sultan Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and Husayb Al-Hoseini, Deputy Director General of Saudi Eximbank, where they discussed the prospects for further development of investment cooperation, Islamic finance, implementation of joint infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan.

 

The Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar, Arman Issagaliyev, met with the Chairman of the Qatar Shura Council, Hassan Abdullah Al-Ghanim, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

During the conversation, the current state of interparliamentary cooperation between the two countries was discussed. Both sides noted the great interest shown by the local public in the speech of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Shura Council during his state visit to Doha in February this year.

Ambassador Arman Issagaliyev presented detailed information on large-scale reforms in the political, economic and social spheres of Kazakhstan. The parties noted the beginning of the implementation of joint projects based on an agreement to establish a long-term strategic partnership for the development of projects in key areas, signed by the governments of the two countries in March.

In turn, Hassan Abdullah Al-Ghanim emphasized the importance of the parliaments of both countries in providing comprehensive support for the high-quality implementation of the agreements reached between the countries. In addition, the speaker of the Qatari parliament noted that positive reforms in Kazakhstan in a number of areas, including in the field of social protection, are highly appreciated by the international community.

Following the meeting, the parties reviewed a plan for mutual visits and joint events at a high level in order to further strengthen Kazakh-Qatari strategic cooperation.

 

Interesting facts from the history of relations between the Central Asian region and Africa, as well as prospects for interaction, were presented during a media seminar organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ethiopia together with the African Studies Professionals Association (ASPA) as part of the celebration of Africa Day, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

The event was attended by representatives of authoritative Ethiopian printed and electronic Mass media, the Center for African and Asian Studies at Addis Ababa University, public scientific organizations, experts, and members of the Friendship club of Kazakhstan.

During the seminar, Barlybay Sadykov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Permanent Representative to the African Union congratulated the participants on the celebration of Africa Day (May 25), noting the growing importance of a united Africa in world politics and economics.

Turning to history, the Ambassador stated the existence of trade and cultural ties between the peoples of Central Asia and Africa. He recalled the Great Silk Road, which ran through the territory of the Turkic states and Steppe empires, the most powerful of which was the state of the Golden Horde, which two centuries later gave rise to the creation of the Kazakh Khanate.

Barlybay Sadykov also informed about the current cooperation of Kazakhstan with African countries, about work on joint projects with the African Union. In his opinion, both Kazakhstan and Africa may be interested in developing interaction in the field of education, trade and investment, tourism ties, cultural exchange, and mutual support in the international arena.

The Kazakh diplomat spoke about the ongoing political and economic reforms in our country, on the tasks of the government to create a Eurasian transit and transport hub that would facilitate trade in the East-West and North-South directions. In his opinion, realizing the potential of the Middle Corridor can contribute to the growth of trade between Africa and the countries of Central Asia.

Professor Shiferaw Belele, from the Department of History at Addis Ababa University elaborated on the facts indicating the close ties of the Ethiopian kings with the Mamluk state in Egypt. According to him, there is correspondence between Ethiopian kings and the sultans of Egypt during the reign of the Mamluks. In addition, when reforming the army and government in Ethiopia in the 15th century, the experience and technologies used by the Mamluks in Egypt were used.

Getachew Kassa, Associate Professor of Center for African and Asian Studies of the Addis Ababa University, drew attention to the need to establish cooperation between scientific institutions in the countries of Central Asia and Africa to further study the common history, scientific facts proving the existence of connections between our regions in the past. In addition, he noted the interest of the Ethiopian scientific community in studying and adopting the modern experience of Asian countries such as Kazakhstan in achieving economic progress.

The second part of the seminar discussed the issues of presenting information and covering African news in the media. Worku Belachew, Chairperson of the African Studies Professionals Association, Editor-in-Chief of the Ethiopian Herald newspaper informed in detail about the problems of overcoming stereotypes about Africa in Mass media and invited African media to more actively cooperate with international partners, including from Kazakhstan, to report on events in Africa from first-hand.

In general, information about connections between the two regions in the past and prospects for further development of cooperation aroused great interest. Many participants actively shared creative ideas in this area, as well as plans to visit our region in the future.

 

On the initiative of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Bulgaria, together with Satbayev University and the Technical University of Sofia, an International Online Conference was organized on the occasion of the 125th Anniversary of the birth of Kanysh Satbayev, an outstanding Kazakh scientist, geologist, academician, one of the founders of the national metallogenic science and the founder of the Kazakh school of metallogeny, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

The event was attended by administration of Satbayev University, Sofia Technical University, Kanysh Satbayev’s grandson Gani Satbayev, representatives of the teaching staff of universities and scientific intelligentsia of both countries.

In his welcoming speech first Vice-rector of Satbayev University Samgat Yermekbayev told in detail about the life, work and merits of Kanysh Satbayev, and also noted that in the history of the Kazakh people and Kazakhstan, academician Kanysh Satbayev was a phenomenal visionary of the mysteries of the earth's interior, an outstanding geologist, organizer of science, thinker and naturalist. The head of the Kazakh University stressed that Kanysh Satbayev is a well-known public and statesman, a significant figure in the scientific community, who made a serious contribution to the accelerated development of industry in Kazakhstan.

The Vice-rector of the Technical University of Sofia Lidia Galabova made a welcoming speech by noting the importance of maintaining a good tradition of jointly holding such commemorative events today. She also praised Kanysh Satbayev’s contribution to the development of Kazakhstan’s metallogenic science and geology.

In addition, Kanysh Satbayev’s grandson Gani Satbayev shared his memories of her grandfather, filled with incredible experiences and exciting moments of family life, which are forever imprinted in her memory.

In the second part of the event, representatives of Satbayev University and Sofia Technical University discussed topical issues of cooperation and prospects for mutually beneficial partnership. The Parties held presentations of their universities, and then moved on to discuss the formats of future cooperation in both the short and long term, starting from the interaction of scientists in the field of innovative projects for production, ending with the exchange of students and the interexchange of cultures of the two countries.