The Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Singapore signed the Free Trade Agreement and Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states and Singapore Oct. 1 in Yerevan, Armenia. The agreement aims to strengthen existing trade relations and expand cooperation opportunities. It provides duty-free trade of all goods excluding the list of sensitive goods. Singapore will abolish all customs duties as the agreement enters into force and the EAEU countries will provide full liberalisation in stages. Singapore is a key partner for Kazakhstan in Southeast Asia, said Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration Bakhyt Sultanov. The agreement will diversify exports and serve as an additional incentive to increase production volumes of export-oriented products.
Kazakh Invest and Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, signed a memorandum of cooperation at the Sept. 30 Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP) Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry international summit in São Paulo. The document will become a roadmap for mutually beneficial partnership, information exchange and experience. Kazakh Invest strategic analysis department director Zhandos Temirgali discussed investment cooperation in agriculture and machine building with Brazilian multinational corporations including Embraer, JBS and Minerva Foods. “JBS is the second largest food producer in the world with 235,000 employees in 22 countries and 350,000 customers in 150 countries. JBS processes beef, pork, lamb and chicken and produces value-added and processed foods. We have about 400 production facilities worldwide and we are planning further expansion. Kazakhstan has great potential in the agricultural sector. Following the presentation on Kazakhstan’s investment potential, we are interested in cooperation in the field of meat processing,” said JBS Executive Director Pedro Bordon.
Kazakh publishing companies participated in the Tashkent Book Fest international book exhibition and fair, which attracted 16 publishing houses from different countries, reported Kazinform. Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports Language Policy Committee chairman Galymzhan Meldeshev noted Uzbekistan pays special attention to developing a reading culture and distributing books. There is a need to develop similar events in the future to exchange experiences and ideas between book industries from different countries. The event also included book presentations, intellectual games, literary quizzes, meetings and roundtables with writers.
Astana Opera House will present Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” as part of the first Dmitri Hvorostovsky International Festival Oct. 23 and Oct. 25 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, according to the theatre’s press service. The company will also perform a symphonic concert with the works of 20th century Kazakh composers Oct. 24 at the Krasnoyarsk Regional Philharmonic big concert hall. Astana Opera Principal Conductor Alan Buribayev said they will present a new interesting and symbolic production of the opera. Hvorostovsky previously performed the title role at the world’s best venues and it will be a great honour for Kazakh baritones to offer their vision of the part. The tour will contribute to expanding cultural ties between Kazakhstan and Russia.
Kazakh artists took part in the eighth Beijing International Art Biennale at the National Art Museum of China, reported Kazinform. The list of works included Asemkul Beibit’s painting “Graphic Brothers,” Gulmaral Tatibayeva’s “Aigolek,” Aransha Sharzhanov’s “Spring” and Zhanibek Sulet’s “Traffic Regulations.” Sharzhanov’s work was on display at a separate exhibition of the works of artists from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states. This year, the biennale demonstrated 640 works by 595 artists from 113 countries. The main topics were nature, life and the common fate of mankind.
