Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov held a meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic Edmondo Cirielli, DKnews.kz reports.
During the meeting, the parties discussed key issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular, the progress of practical implementation of the outcomes reached following the official visit of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Italy, which took place in January 2024.
Along with this, both diplomats exchanged their views on the interaction within the framework of the “Central Asia + Italy” dialogue, as well as on the platforms of various international organizations.
Deputy Minister Kuantyrov emphasized that Italy is Kazakhstan’s largest trade partner in the European Union. He noted with satisfaction the successful holding of the 9th meeting of the Kazakh-Italian Intergovernmental Working Group on Industrial and Economic Cooperation and Exchange, which took place during the visit of Deputy Minister Cirielli to our capital.
In his turn, the Italian diplomat re-confirmed that Rome traditionally attaches great importance to its strategic partnership with Astana. In particular, he informed about a project being implemented by the “Sogesid” company and aimed at the social and environmental revival of the Aral Sea zone.
In this vein, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan welcomed the initiative of the Italian side to develop an Action Plan on the establishment of knowledge networks between Central Asia and Italy, which would provide for creation of joint working groups on agriculture, healthcare, transport, higher education, water resources and energy.
As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue a multifaceted dialogue aimed at strengthening the entire spectrum of the Kazakh-Italian strategic partnership.
For reference: Italy is the largest economic partner of Kazakhstan in the EU. In January-September 2024, trade turnover reached 16 bln US dollars (exports – 15.1 bln, imports – 900 mln), which is 36% higher than in the same period of the previous year (11.7 bln). From 2005 to the second quarter of 2024, the volume of investments from Italy in Kazakhstan amounted to more than 7.6 billion US dollars. There are 278 legal entities with Italian capital registered in Kazakhstan.
