NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin and the European Union Ambassadors attended a high-level dialogue platform Oct. 23 discussing the economy, business investments and possible solutions to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service reported.
Photo credit: Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service
The dialogue platform complements the technical dialogue between the EU and Kazakhstan within the Cooperation Committee in Trade Configuration that took place Oct. 9.
The meeting was attended by EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan Sven–Olov Carlsson, heads of the EU diplomatic missions, and leading European companies.
Mamin told the gathering about the measures Kazakhstan is taking to weather the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s economy.
“Kazakhstan’s Strategic Development Plan until 2025 has been developed, which includes measures to boost export-oriented production with high value-added in manufacturing and agriculture, stepping up digitization, strengthening the health care system, and improving the quality and accessibility of infrastructure,” said Mamin.
The meeting agenda also covered cooperation in health care, green economy development and climate change control, the implementation of joint investment projects in agriculture, manufacturing, transport, energy and infrastructure.
Both sides also discussed the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU which was signed in Nur-Sultan Dec. 21, 2015, and came fully into force March 1 of this year. The document covers 29 areas, including trade, investment, innovation and infrastructure development.
Mamin called on the EU ambassadors to continue an open and active dialogue to promote trade, economic and investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU.
In his remarks, Carlsson spoke about the fight against the pandemic, the EU’s Green Deal and the EU and Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
He said that the EU sees this crisis as a unique opportunity to resume economic growth with new technologies and green solutions. He reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to making Europe climate neutral by 2050 and invited Kazakhstan to become a partner in this transformation.
The EU has been one of the major investors and largest trade partners for Kazakhstan with trade turnover from the past eight months amounting to $15.5 billion.
