BRICS summit to be held in China in April
BRICs country-leaders, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, will gather in China to discuss economic, financial, and security issues in the middle of April, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Almaty. April 1. Kazakhstan Today - BRICs country-leaders, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, will gather in China to discuss economic, financial, and security issues in the middle of April, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Leaders from five of the world's top emerging economies will gather in China mid-next month to discuss economic, financial and security concerns, the Chinese government said on Thursday, setting a date for the "BRICS" summit, Reuters reported.
The announcement came on the same day that China played host to a meeting of officials from the G20 group of major advanced and emerging economies, another sign of Beijing's growing stature in global economic diplomacy.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and leaders from Brazil, Russia India and South Africa will meet on the far southern Chinese island-province of Hainan on April 14, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on its website (www.mfa.gov.cn).
The summit is unlikely to achieve much concrete, but it will give the world's big rising economies a venue to coordinate views on global financial reforms, commodity prices and other shared concerns.
"The BRICS leaders will exchange views on international developments and economic, financial and development issues, and will also plan future cooperation among the BRICS countries," said the short statement.
This was the first time China gave a firm date for the meeting - the third "BRIC" summit and the first to include South Africa, creating the new "BRICS" name for the group.
The group emerged as a loose united front to press the rich Western economies, especially the United States, which traditionally dominated global diplomacy.
But there are many disparities among the BRICS member countries, and the past two summits of the evolving group have not achieved much. This time, too, strains over China's currency policies and trade surpluses could make real agreement even harder to reach.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will make a bilateral visit to Beijing to coincide with the summit, and her government officials have said they want to discuss the Chinese yuan , which they say is held so cheap it has helped fuel a flood of Chinese exports to Brazil.
The leaders may also discuss Libya.
China, with Russia, India, Brazil and other developing countries have condemned the U.S.-led air strikes on Libyan forces. South Africa, on the other hand, voted in favour of the United Nations Security Council resolution authorising the air strikes.
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Young Kazakh Composer Captivates Geneva Audience
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Presented as a highlight of the "Turkic Week in Geneva" organized under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan in the centre of international diplomacy, the concert attracted an audience comprising heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations, representatives of NGOs, academia, the Geneva community, and the Kazakh diaspora.
Opening the concert, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan Yerlan Alimbayev thanked Rakhat-Bi for his contributions to the world of music, highlighting the importance of cultural diplomacy and the role of music in fostering international cooperation and understanding.
Rakhat-Bi Abdyssagin’s performance was a fusion of classical masterpieces by J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, F. Chopin, F. Liszt, and A. Scriabin, alongside his own original compositions. His introductions to each piece enriched the concert experience, providing a deeper understanding and appreciation of the music and creating a connection between the artist and the audience.
The concert by Rakhat-Bi Abdyssagin displayed the artistic brilliance of Kazakhstan, highlighting the country’s commitment to promoting cultural diplomacy, enhancing international cooperation, and sharing the universal language of music with audiences worldwide.
Rakhat-Bi Abdyssagin’s composed his first piece at the age of 9, and his portfolio includes over 150 compositions, including three operas. His diverse work reflects his passion, creativity, and dedication to the art of music. His most recent opera, "The Bruce" received critical acclaim and premiered in four cities of the United Kingdom earlier this year.
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Development of Inter-parliamentary Relations is an Important Item on the Kazakh-Romanian Agenda
Images | Kazakh MFA
The potential for developing inter-parliamentary partnership was the main topic of the talks between Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerlik Ali and the Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Senate of the Romanian Parliament, Titus Corlățean, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the discussions, the participants explored a range of potential areas for collaboration, both bilaterally and multilaterally. They expressed a mutual interest in deepening the existing ties between Astana and Bucharest.
The sides devoted particular attention to the discussion of political and socio-economic reforms, the implementation of which is being carried out on the initiative of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. In particular, the Romanian side was informed about the reforms aimed at strengthening the protection of human rights and freedoms, statehood, as well as improving the well-being of the people.
Along with this, the multilateral agenda of the negotiations included an exchange of views on a wide range of current issues on the international and regional agenda, as well as cooperation in the Kazakhstan-EU and Central Asia-EU format. At the same time, proposals for the participation of the Kazakh delegation in the 31st annual session of the OSCE PA, which will be held from June 29 to July 3, 2024 in Bucharest, were also considered.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the interlocutors agreed to regularly "synchronize watches" in order to find new niches in the investment, energy, transport, logistics and tourism sectors.
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Priorities of Cooperation Between Kazakhstan and the European Union Presented in Athens
Images | Kazakh MFA
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Greece Yerlan Baudarbek-Kozhatayev made a presentation on the priority areas of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU for the Ambassadors of European countries accredited in Greece, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
In his speech on the theme "Kazakhstan today: prior to the summit of Central Asia - European Union" Yerlan Baudarbek-Kozhatayev informed the participants of the meeting about the political and socio-economic reforms being implemented in the country under the leadership of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
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The event was organised under the auspices of the Ambassador’s Committee of the Balkans & Black Sea Forum, where topical issues of global and regional politics were discussed.
The meeting participants discussed the upcoming calendar of electoral events, including the impact of the outcome of the European Parliament elections to be held in June 2024 on the political landscape of Europe.
The discussion highlighted the importance of transport connectivity and the improvement of infrastructure and logistics, energy security, new power and LNG projects, as well as environmental and agricultural policies.
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Signing of the Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in Astana Opens a New Chapter in Kazakh-British Relations
Images | Kazakh MFA
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland David Cameron, who is in Astana with an official visit, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
The discussion focused on issues of bilateral, regional and international cooperation, as well as measures to enhance the entire spectrum of Kazakh-British relationship.
Minister Nurtleu welcomed dynamic intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary contacts that have facilitated deepening of partnership in various sectors over the recent years, and reconfirmed his readiness to broaden dialogue further between the foreign ministries of two countries.
With a view to increase engagement in trade, economic and investment spheres, Kazakh Foreign Minister underlined the importance of promoting institutional mechanism of cooperation, including the Strategic Dialogue and the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.
Foreign Secretary Cameron noted that the UK pays great attention to developing cooperation with Kazakhstan as the key partner in Central Asia. He also expressed support for the ongoing reforms in our country and the readiness of London to deepen its ties with Astana.
An important outcome of the talks at the Foreign Ministry was the signing of the historic Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the UK that is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations in key sectors, such as foreign policy and security, trade and investment, protection of intellectual property, energy and raw materials partnership, transportation, environment protection and climate change, banking and financial services, employment and social policy, science and education.
According to Minister Nurtleu, "this comprehensive agreement will be a significant step in taking political, trade and investment relations between Astana and London to new horizons… We believe our strong and mutually beneficial strategic partnership will continue to strengthen in all areas, from energy to rare metals, from ecology to education."
A number of bilateral documents in the sphere of healthcare and transport as well as MoUs on opening a branch of Queen’s University Belfast in Almaty and launching Kazakh language courses at Oxford University were also concluded during the visit.
For reference: trade between Kazakhstan and the UK in 2023 reached 1.2 million US dollars (exports - 703 million, imports - 478,7 million).
There are around 600 companies and joint ventures with British capital in Kazakhstan.
The UK is among the top 10 foreign investors in Kazakhstan. Last year, Kazakhstan’s economy attracted 795 million in FDI from the UK and over 17 billion in total since 2005.
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