Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, the 15th meeting of the dialogue platform "Kazakhstan-EU" was held with the participation of Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union in Kazakhstan Kestutis Jankauskas and heads of diplomatic missions of EU countries, передает DKnews.kz.
The European Union, as one of the key partners of Kazakhstan, accounts for more than 40% of attracted investments and about 30% of foreign trade. At the meeting of the dialogue platform were considered issues of expanding and strengthening trade and economic, investment cooperation and joint implementation of projects in the field of transport and logistics.
In particular, they discussed plans to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) as one of the most promising directions.
About 85% of goods from China to the EU countries are transported through Kazakhstan, which is a transit hub between Europe and Asia. TITR provides the most competitive delivery time (12-15 days), ensuring maximum attractiveness for trade flows.
The participants of the meeting expressed interest in unlocking the wide potential of the Middle Corridor. A joint venture "Middle Corridor Multimodal" was established on the basis of the International Financial Centre "Astana". The significant role of the European initiative "Global Gateway", which opens new prospects for investment in the transport industry, was also noted.
"The EU is a major and significant investment and trade partner of Kazakhstan. We are constantly working on all priority areas. The Government highly appreciates the contribution and involvement in strengthening co-operation between our countries. We are always open to proposals aimed at increasing mutually beneficial partnership" Olzhas Bektenov
EU Ambassadors to Kazakhstan Kestutis Jankauskas and Romania Madalina Lupu in turn positively assessed the work carried out in Kazakhstan to improve the business climate. The heads of diplomatic missions also noted the stability and attractiveness of the economy of our republic for European business. Following the results of the meeting, the participants of the meeting confirmed the intention to develop and strengthen trade and economic relations, bringing the strategic partnership to a new level.
Trade turnover of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the EU countries for 2019-2023 increased by 36.2%, amounting to $41.4 billion. Exports for 5 years increased by 28.2%: from $24.2 billion to $31 billion. Imports increased by 67.6% and amounted to $10.4 billion in 2023. For January-May 2024 it was $19.9bn, up 15.8% compared to the same period in 2023. Last year, EU countries invested $10.4bn in the economy of the republic, while in the first quarter of 2024 it was $2.8bn. The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Cyprus and Luxembourg account for the main share.
