Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko held meetings with Ambassador of Belgium Henri Vantieghem and Ambassador of the Netherlands Nico Schermers, DKNews.kz reports.
Discussions with the Belgian diplomat focused on further strengthening the political dialogue and enhancing economic and trade ties between the two countries. The parties highlighted the positive role of the bilateral Business Council, established in 2023, in advancing trade and investment cooperation.
The Deputy Minister congratulated Belgium on assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and expressed hope for active joint efforts in facilitating visa regulations for the citizens of Kazakhstan.
At the meeting with the Dutch diplomat, mutual interest in boosting trade and investment cooperation, promoting collaboration in agriculture, water resource management, and other relevant areas was highlighted.
Both parties expressed readiness to support the work of the joint Kazakh-Dutch Agricultural Committee established at the end of last year with a view to give a new impetus to mutually beneficial partnership.
Roman Vassilenko called on both counterparts to collaborate in developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route that opens up new prospects for expanding trade and economic interaction between Kazakhstan and Europe.
The issues of cooperation in Central Asia were also reviewed during the meetings, especially in view of the preparation for the VI Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia in Astana this year. The Deputy Minister informed about Kazakhstan’s initiatives to strengthen regional cooperation in protecting the environment, water resources and other spheres. Considering the advanced European expertise, Vassilenko also expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to implement joint projects in the region.
Belgium is an important trading partner of Kazakhstan in the EU. Bilateral trade in 2023 reached 523.7 million US dollars (exports – 220.7 million, imports – 303 million). The gross inflow of investment from Belgium to Kazakhstan since 2005 has amounted to 12.4 billion US dollars.
The Netherlands is one of the top five trading partners of Kazakhstan in Europe. In 2023, bilateral trade was 4.4 billion US dollars (exports – 4 billion, imports – 400 million). Since 2005, direct investments from the Netherlands to Kazakhstan amounted to about 117.7 billion US dollars.
