Images | Akorda
The Kazakh and Slovenian Presidents, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Nataša Pirc Musar, attended on Tuesday the Kazakhstan-Slovenia Business Forum in Astana,
Kazinform News Agency cites Akorda.
Addressing the event, the Kazakh leader stated that Kazakhstan and Slovenia have been building strong and equitable political and diplomatic ties for the past 30 years. The sides confirmed mutual commitment to deepening economic cooperation for the benefit of both nations following the talks held the day before.
Kazakhstan remains the largest and one of the fast-growing countries in the region. Last year, the country saw economic growth of 4.8%, 1.5fold up from the projected global growth. Kazakhstan’s GDP stood at 288 billion US dollars, as the country is taking steps towards supporting upward growth through large-scale political and economic reforms, said Tokayev.
President Tokayev highlighted that Kazakhstan seeks to become a leading trade and logistics hub of Eurasian thanks to its strategic location.
Kazakhstan can serve as a gateway to access markets of the Eurasian Economic Union, Central Asia and China with over 1.5 billion consumers. Freight traffic via the country hit a record of 514 billion ton-kilometers last year. Presently, Kazakhstan is responsible for 90% of land trade between Europe and China. Work is underway to develop major international transit routes such as the Middle Corridor and North-South. Kazakhstan’s ports Aktau and Kuryk have a crucial role in transit via the Caspian Sea, handling a record of 4.5 million tons last year, said the Kazakh leader, expressing the commitment to exchange experiences and deepen partnership with the Port of Koper.
The Head of State called industrial and energy cooperation as a promising area of cooperation with Slovenia. As the Kazakh President said, almost 70% of Kazakhstani oil is exported to the EU. The country holds 3 trillion cubic meters of proven reserves of natural gas as well as 34 billion tons of proven coal reserves, entering top 10 nations with the largest coal reserves in the world.
Kazakhstan produces 19 out of 34 rare earth elements, which are crucial to the EU economy, and actively works with the world’s top companies to unlock its potential using the pragmatic formula of ‘investment and technology in exchange for raw materials’. The number of major international companies willing to invest in Kazakhstan’s green economy is on the rise, including France’s Total, Italy’s Eni, the UAE’s Masdar and German-Swedish company Svevind Energy Group. Slovenia’s leading companies such as Iskra and Gorenje already entered the Kazakhstani market, stated Tokayev.
The Head of State noted that Kazakhstan attaches priority attention to the agriculture sector, considering it as a key tool in addressing challenges facing global food security. Presently, the country supplies its agricultural products to up to 70 countries of the world.
President Tokayev revealed plans to turn the domestic agro-industrial complex into a high-tech sector, calling on Slovenian partners to implement joint investment projects. According to the Kazakh leader, cooperation with Slovenia’s Krka and Lek companies is likely to boost Kazakhstan’s production and technological potential in pharmacy.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also urged Slovenia’s dynamic and innovative IT sector to work together in scientific research, startups and technology education.
Speaking about cooperation in financial services and investment areas, the Head of State called on business circles of Slovenia to look at the potential of the Astana International Financial Center and join its ecosystem.
