Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko met with Ambassador of Spain Jorge Urbiola on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission in our country, DKnews.kz reports.
Roman Vassilenko presented the Spanish Ambassador with a Certificate of Honor from Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu for the significant contribution to the development of political, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations between the two countries.
As a sign of appreciation for his active participation in building cultural bridges between the two countries, the Ambassador of Spain was also presented with a personalized dombra. During the event, the “Alkissa” kui was performed. It is worth noting that Jorge Urbiola is well acquainted with this piece of art by the great Kazakh composer Nurgisa Tlendiyev, which he personally performed as part of the new ensemble “Dombrassadors”, formed on his initiative from representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in our country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
During the conversation, the diplomats compared notes on positions on current issues of bilateral cooperation, discussing the schedule of upcoming high-level contacts in the year of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Spain. The interlocutors mentioned fruitful ties in various sectors of the economy, which are actively developing due to the presence of such well-known Spanish companies on the Kazakh market as “Maxam”, “Talgo”, “Indra”, “Inditex”, “Airbus Defense & Space”. At the same time, the parties discussed the progress of developing a number of projects in Kazakhstan with the participation of large Spanish companies, including “Xcalibur”, “Técnicas Reunidas”, etc.
The parties highlighted the achievements in the field of cooperation between universities, as well as in the implementation of sports and image projects aimed at strengthening humanitarian ties, achieved during Jorge Urbiola’s stay in Kazakhstan.
At the end of the meeting, Roman Vassilenko wished Jorge Urbiola the success in his future diplomatic career. In turn, the Spanish Ambassador thanked the Kazakh side for hospitality, noting that in our country he acquired a large number of true friends, and expressed confidence in further fruitful cooperation between Astana and Madrid.
Spain is an important economic partner of Kazakhstan in the EU. According to Kazakh statistics, in 2023, bilateral trade turnover amounted to 2 billion US dollars (exports – 1.5 billion, imports – 500 million). In January-May 2024, – 702 million US dollars (exports – 422 million, imports – 280 million).
Since 2005, the volume of investments from Spain to Kazakhstan amounted to 360 million US dollars. There are 67 legal entities with the participation of Spanish capital registered in Kazakhstan.
