Kazakh President attended Central Asia-India Summit

Images | Akorda

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the 1st Central Asia-India Summit. The event, initiated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, was held via a videoconferencing.

"The commodity turnover between Central Asia and India in 2020 reached USD 3 bln. Thereat the Kazakhstan's share in sales accounts for 80%," the President said.

However, the current figures do not conform to the aggregate economic potential of the countries. He said that dialogue platforms such as the Central Asia-India Summit are useful for progressive growth of the countries, and for development of efficient responses to new threats and risks. He expressed confidence that the unique format of fruitful exchange of views will bring cooperation between the states to a brand new level.

"The role of Asia in the global economy has significantly grown," Tokayev said addressing the Summit.

"Over the past years we have developed constructive, political dialogue. We constantly expand multidimensional, economic and humanitarian ties. Our large Asian region has enormous resources and huge intellectual potential. There are important transport corridors and fast-growing markets in the region. The role of Asia has significantly increased in the world economy. It becomes a new global center of attraction of investments and capital. All this opens huge prospects for favorable opportunities of mutually beneficial cooperation between the states. First of all, it concerns the trade," President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

At today's Central Asia-India Summit Kazakh President suggested building an interregional transport and logistics consortium.

"Central Asia has a huge transport and logistics potential in the sphere of global economic cooperation. 11 international transit corridors are running through Kazakhstan. Out of which five railway lines and six highways provide fast goods traffic en route East-West and North-South. Given the common customs territory in the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union Kazakhstan has access to the market of Russia and some Eastern European countries," the Head of State said.

He also noted that the south-western route through Kazakhstan's Aktau and Kuryk ports with a capacity of 26 mln tons of a year is equally of high potential. The ports give a wide access to the Caspian Sea littoral states, Turkey and further to the West. For the past 10 years Kazakhstan invested some USD 30 bln in the national transport infrastructure development.

The Head of State highlighted that the development of a reliable, efficient and safe transport infrastructure should become the key element in the architecture of interconnected relationships between Central Asia and India. To this end, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed to consider an opportunity to create the interregional transport and logistics consortium.

At Summit Kazakh President also invited Indian companies to Kazakhstan to collaborate in the sphere of digitalization.

"Economic digitalization remains the key global trend. E-government works effectively in Kazakhstan, digitalization projects are being realized in all the backbone economic sectors, as well as smart cities, medicine and education development projects. Digital solutions are also applied in the country's banking and financial system," the President said.

The Head of State added that development of AI, Big data, e-commerce, internet of things, and cybersecurity are strongly sought-for today.

Besides, he stressed that projects on the development of a laboratories in the sphere of telecommunications, e-industry in Kazakhstan are of great interest.

The President invited the Indian companies to enter the country's market. In his Address to the Nation Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set the task to train no less than 100,000 highly skilled IT specialists by 2025. He suggested opening an engineering office and an IT school for Central Asia at the ground of the Astana Hub international technological park jointly with Bagmane technological park and other Indian IT giants.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced at today's Central Asia-India Summit that the share of Central Asian nations in the external sales of India accounts for less than 1%.

"Our joint efforts should be aimed at fulfilling great opportunities to increase mutual trade. The share of Central Asian nations in the external turnover of India stands at no less than 1%. That's why the India's initiative to create a trade and economic platform involving trade and industry ministers are timely. We support that initiative," the Head of State said.

Tokayev said that Kazakhstan has developed the list of 80 goods worth USD 610 mln that could be sent to India in the near future. He confirmed readiness to consider the opportunity to expand India's exports to Kazakhstan. The President suggested developing a plan to increase trade flow with respect to competitive edges of each country.

Source: Kazinform

This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.