Kazakh President welcomes Pope Francis at airport in Nur-Sultan

We are reliable, time-tested partners. Much has already been done to strengthen our ties, but at the same time we set high goals for the further development of our cooperation", the President said.

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Today we sign the Treaty on Deepening and Expanding Allied Relations, a historical document, which will give a new impulse to the development of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz ties," the Kazakh President said.

Our bilateral trade and economic cooperation strengthens year by year. Last year, commodity turnover reached $1.5 billion having increased by 26%. We set a goal to raise this indicator to $2 billion. A number of promising projects are implemented in this area. In whole, the agreements in trade-economic sector are fulfilled," the Kazakh President noted.

Holding the Days of Culture has already turned into a good tradition. We exchange experience in education. The contacts between the youth have intensified. Today we will open the monument to Manas in Astana, which proves a high level of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations. We are interested in bringing them to a brand new level," he stated.

Kazakhstan is our close partner, fraternal nation and one of the major trade partners. Kazakhstan is a priority in our foreign policy. There are no politcal or regional disputes between our countries. Since the first days of my presidency, you have constantly supported me in international structures and issues related to the expansion of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations. We are ready to provide all possible assistance to the fraternal Kazakh people in flood relief efforts. Our countries enjoy centuries-long friendship, fraternity, good-neighborly relations, common culture, spirituality and religion. I am confident that our mutual cooperation, strategic partnership will strengthen further," said Sadyr Zhaparov.

The scale and consequences of the natural disaster require from us radically new approaches for the proper use of resources and avoidance of similar incidents in the future. In this matter we are particularly interested in the best practices and experience of European countries and companies. It is important to synchronise the efforts of the Government of Kazakhstan with the assistance programmes of the European Union," Olzhas Bektenov said.

The water issue is in the priority of our co-operation with Central Asia. Like other natural resources, water must have its price in order to be used efficiently. This will stimulate the introduction of more efficient technologies, and many European companies are ready to work in this direction," Kestutis Jankauskas said and confirmed the readiness to ensure the transfer of knowledge and technologies in the field of sustainable management of water basins and rivers.

The Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has set a task for the Government - to develop the agro-industrial complex and ensure rational use of water resources. Agriculture and food industry are among the most important sectors of our economy. We have a huge potential for the production of high-quality and organic agricultural products and foodstuffs. We are interested in increasing food exports to the EU market. Taking into account the advanced agrarian technologies of European companies, we invite you to create joint projects for the production and processing of agricultural products. For our part, we are ready to make every effort to create a favourable environment for doing business," Olzhas Bektenov said.