NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made a video address to a roundtable organized by the Astana International Financial Centre on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos, Switzerland from May 22 to May 26, reports the presidential press service.
President Tokayev. Photo credit: Akorda
Usually held in January, but postponed until May after a surge in COVID-19 cases, the forum convened nearly 2,500 leaders to tackle global issues and find solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges including the ongoing global pandemic, Ukraine, geopolitical and economic developments, and climate change.
In his address to the roundtable which was attended by representatives of major global investment companies, the nonprofit sector, and international media, Tokayev focused on the most acute issues on the global agenda saying that the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation in Ukraine have fragmented and regionalized the global economy, which now faces a new geopolitical stress test on the Eurasian continent.
He spoke about the measures taken by Kazakhstan to improve the healthcare system to tackle the consequences of the pandemic and support small and medium-sized enterprises and infrastructure projects.
The Kazakh leader told the forum participants in detail about the ongoing large-scale political and economic reforms and preparations for the upcoming national referendum on amendments to the Constitution.
Kazakhstan remains a reliable partner in ensuring continuous supply chains of goods, raw materials and agricultural products to global markets, said Tokayev, reaffirming Kazakhstan’s commitment to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) goals.
AIFC Governor Kairat Kelimbetov said Davos is a unique opportunity when global investors and large financial institutions gather together.
“Many investors know Kazakhstan well, and now the clock is ticking. They would like to understand how the investment climate in Kazakhstan will develop and improve, so the guarantees given by the head of state, the plans for economic reforms which have been announced, and the reforms to build New Kazakhstan – this is where investors want to participate and this is what causes great interest,” Kelimbetov told Khabar national TV channel.
The country’s efforts to improve the investment climate has been the focus of President Tokayev’s meeting with business people on May 19.
