Turkey to expand visa-free regime up to three months for Kazakh citizens

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko and Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Ádám Stifter held another round of Kazakh-Hungarian political consultations in Budapest, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

The agenda of the consultations encompassed the issues of strengthening trustful political cooperation, enhancing mutual trade, implementation of joint investment projects, transport and logistics, the agro-industrial complex, energy, education, etc.

The officials confirmed that a sustainable political dialogue has been established between Kazakhstan and Hungary, maintaining mutual understanding on the most pressing issues of the current geopolitical situation. Mutual support of the parties’ initiatives aligning with their national interests is ensured on various international platforms. In this connection, the diplomats stressed the importance of the outcomes of the visit of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary to Astana and his meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as well as the visit of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan to Budapest in November 2023, all of which gave a powerful impetus to the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation.

Vassilenko and Stifter expressed satisfaction with the growth of bilateral trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Hungary, which amounted to 187.6 million US dollars in 2023 (+8.9%) according to the Kazakh statistics.

In this regard, Ádám Stifter underscored Hungary’s commitment to further bolstering trade and economic ties, highlighting Kazakhstan as its leading partner in Central Asia.

The parties updated the list of priority joint business projects and agreed to strengthen interaction in specific sectors of the economy, including energy, agriculture, and banking.

They paid special attention to Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the European Union, particularly in light of Hungary’s upcoming Presidency in the EU Council in the second half of 2024.

Having wished Hungary success in this important mission at the crucial time for the EU, the Kazakh diplomat expressed confidence in its effective execution for the benefit of the European Union and its partners, such as Kazakhstan.

The diplomats noted with satisfaction the existence of centuries-old historical ties and fraternal relations between the peoples of the two countries.

In this context, the parties discussed the state and prospects of development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, reviewed the progress of effective use of "Stipendium Hungaricum" program, which provides an opportunity for Kazakh students to study in Hungarian universities, as well as preparation for the 5th World Nomad Games this fall in Astana.

During the visit, Roman Vassilenko also met with the Director of the Hungarian Institute of International Relations Márton Schőberl. They had an insightful exchange of views on topical issues on the multilateral agenda. Both parties expressed mutual interest in further expanding cooperation between research institutions in Kazakhstan and Hungary.

 

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Malaysia Bulat Sugurbayev convened a meeting with Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, Zafrul Abdul Aziz, to discuss matters pertaining trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

Ambassador noted the substantial potential for cooperation between the two nations in the field of trade and investment, particularly in anticipation of the forthcoming visit by the Prime Minister of Malaysia to Kazakhstan. He emphasized the pivotal role of the Joint Trade and Economic Committee (JTEC) in facilitating effective collaboration.

Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz acknowledged the significance of the impending visit by the Malaysian leader to Kazakhstan and expressed optimism that it would invigorate political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties between Astana and Putrajaya.

He outlined that Malaysia plans for a "round table" discussion in Astana during the visit which includes participation of business leaders, aimed at fostering business connections between the two nations. The Minister agreed on the significance of the JTEC’s efforts and expressed readiness to host the Committee’s 4th meeting in Kuala Lumpur in June of this year.

Subsequent to the meeting, both parties committed to close collaboration on a wide array of trade and economic matters, as well as to jointly oversee the signing of several pivotal bilateral agreements between Kazakhstan and Malaysia.

 

Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Estonia Altay Kulginov presented his credentials to President Alar Karis, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

During the meeting, Ambassador Kulginov and President Karis noted the friendly nature of relations between Kazakhstan and Estonia, and also emphasized the importance of maintaining a consistent course aimed at comprehensively strengthening bilateral cooperation and deepening interaction between the two countries.

It was also noted that in bilateral trade and economic interaction there is significant potential for effective cooperation, especially in the areas of digitalization, transport and logistics.

At the end of the meeting, the President of Estonia congratulated the Kazakh Ambassador on taking up his official position and wished him great success in further strengthening Kazakh-Estonian relations.

 

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Türkiye Yerkebulan Sapiyev met with Chairman of Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States, Ex-Prime Minister and Former Speaker of Parliament of Türkiye Binali Yıldırım and discussed ways of further development of cooperation between Turkic states, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

Esteemed Turkish politician expressed solidarity with Kazakhstan in aftermath of devastating floods and highly appreciated the level of bilateral relations. He informed about current activities of OTS Council of Elders and shared the views concerning the planned events.

Ambassador briefed on the chairmanship plans of Kazakhstan in OTS and noted initiatives of our country in the framework of Turkic integration.

Parties agreed to coordinate efforts in the wide range of activities towards enhancing cooperation of Turkic World.

 

Nurlan Zhalgasbayev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to India, met with Akshay Bhardwaj, Vice President, JWIL Infra Ltd, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed projects related to drinking water, irrigation, wastewater treatment and industrial waters, and exchanged views on investment cooperation in the field of water resources development.

In addition, the parties discussed possible ways to finance infrastructure projects.

 

The Kazakh delegation, led by Ambassador Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the International Organizations in Vienna, participated in the International Conference "Humanity at the Crossroads: Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Challenge of Regulation" (29-30 April), which raised serious questions about the future of autonomous weapons systems from a legal, ethical, humanitarian and international security perspective, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

The Forum provided an excellent opportunity for an in-depth exchange of views between States, representatives of relevant international organizations, and recognized experts in the field. Participants agreed that the anticipated risks of an "autonomous" arms race, the lowering of the threshold for military confrontation, and the proliferation of weapons by non-state actors demonstrate the urgency of international preventive measures.

Kazakhstan, as an active supporter of nuclear disarmament and the strengthening of the global security architecture, fully shares the goals and objectives of the International Conference and expresses its readiness to further participate in developing international legal norms to regulate these challenges and threats.

The Chair’s summary of the Conference calls for further intensification of collective efforts in this area.

 

Maintaining a high level of political dialogue, intensifying trade and investment cooperation, and interaction on international platforms became the main points of negotiations between the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Romania Yerlik Ali and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Luminiţa Odobescu, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

Expressing their readiness to further enhance the mutually beneficial and multifaceted partnership between Astana and Bucharest, diplomats engaged in constructive dialogue on the status and prospects for further developing various aspects of the bilateral agenda.

In particular, the schedule of upcoming events was reviewed, as well as the progress of the implementation of agreements reached following negotiations with the participation of Heads of State on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2023 and the first official visit of the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu to Bucharest in December 2023.

Foreign Minister Luminiţa Odobescu expressed her appreciation for the development of Kazakh-Romanian relations. She noted that Kazakhstan is a valuable partner with whom political dialogue is actively developing, and that it is important to expand trade and economic ties across the entire spectrum of relationships.

A further topic of the negotiations was the potential for future collaboration between the two countries in the implementation of the Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the EU, which covers 29 areas of interaction. In particular, the Romanian diplomat expressed support for Kazakhstan in the European Union, with a particular focus on the issue of liberalising the visa regime with the EU.

Furthermore, the discussions touched upon the potential for future trade and economic collaboration, including the implementation of the agreements reached at the 17th meeting of the IGC on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, as well as the outcomes of the working visits of the ministers of transport and energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Romania.

It should be noted that Romania is among the TOP 5 trading partners of Kazakhstan in the EU with a trade turnover of 2.9 billion US dollars at the end of 2023. At the same time, KazMunayGas International is successfully operating in the country, which has invested about 4.2 billion USD in the Romanian economy since 2007.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a wide exchange of views took place on current issues on the global and regional agenda.

 

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev took part in the Third Session of the "Arab Economic and Cooperation Forum with Central Asian Countries and the Republic of Azerbaijan", organized by the League of Arab States (LAS) at the ministerial level, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.

In his speech, Deputy Minister Bakayev emphasised the Forum's critical role in the growth of interregional cooperation, noted the close historical ties that bind Central Asian nations, Azerbaijan and all of the Arab countries, together, as well as their shared spiritual and cultural values. He focussed specifically on the key pillars of contemporary bilateral cooperation.

In the areas of business, trade, investment, culture, and science, Kazakhstan's cooperative projects and initiatives with Arab nations were highlighted, as well as high interest in further deepening and expanding this cooperation was confirmed.

The head of Kazakhstan delegation put forward a number of specific proposals aimed at developing cooperation in economy, investment, finance, innovation, renewable energy, development of tourism and infrastructure, utilizing transit and transport potential, addressing environmental, water and food security challenges. Partners were invited to benefit from the Astana International Financial Center's distinctive services, which are unmatched in the Central Asian region.

Within the framework of world organizations, the countries of the two regions actively support each other and adhere to the same or similar political positions and views on the most pressing issues on the international agenda. Regarding the deteriorating situation in the Middle East that is raising serious concerns for the international community, Deputy Minister Bakayev reiterated Kazakhstan's resolute stance. In particular, the call for an end to the ongoing violence and mass destructions, promotion of international peace negotiations processes and initiatives, as well as strong support for resolving the conflict by the formula "Two Countries for Two Peoples" were clearly expressed.

In order to provide support to the Palestinian people, Kazakhstan last year made a significant financial contribution to the activities of relevant international organizations, as well as provided material humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

At the forum, Deputy Minister Bakayev held bilateral meetings with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Soltan Al-Muraikhi, Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit, as well as the heads of delegations of Tunisia and Algeria.

Following the Forum, the Doha Declaration was adopted.