ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, congratulating him on his recent appointment and wishing him success in his governmental duties during his state visit to Singapore on May 23, reported the Akorda press service.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Lawrence Wong. Photo credit: Akorda
The President emphasized that Singapore is Kazakhstan’s strategic partner in Southeast Asia and praised the longstanding partnership between the two nations. He expressed confidence that the outcomes of his first state visit to Singapore would give a powerful impetus to bilateral relations and confirmed his readiness to provide the necessary support.
Wong noted that the economies of both countries are complementary, highlighting that Singapore could act as a gateway for Kazakhstan to expand interaction with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while Kazakhstan could help Singapore build stronger ties with Central Asian countries.
The parties focused on economic and investment cooperation prospects, reaffirming mutual commitment to expanding collaboration in green energy, transport and logistics, digitization, finance, agriculture, communications, extraction and processing of critical raw materials, and e-commerce.
They welcomed the implementation of flagship projects such as Alatau City (G4 City) in the Almaty Region, involving the Singaporean company Surbana Jurong, and the partnership between PSA International, a leading port group with a global network, and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the national railway company of Kazakhstan, aimed at enhancing the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
The parties paid particular attention to strengthening interaction in education and science, including inter-university collaborations and student exchanges. They agreed to make joint efforts to expand business contacts between Kazakhstan and Singapore. Tokayev proposed the creation of an intergovernmental commission to strengthen the multifaceted partnership between the two countries.
At the end of the meeting, the President invited Wong to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan.
Tokayev’s state visit resulted in the signing of several memorandums of understanding on economic and legal cooperation, interaction in higher education, protection of intellectual property rights, dissemination and translation of Singapore standards, and between the countries’ ministries of internal affairs.
Later, the President met with Heng Swee Keat, the Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, noting that the Kazakhstan-Singapore business forum would be a good incentive to search for new opportunities in the markets of both countries.
Tokayev spoke about the comprehensive reforms undertaken in Kazakhstan to increase the competitiveness of the national economy and create comfortable conditions for potential investors.
The Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that Kazakhstan and Singapore can help expand cooperation between Central Asia and ASEAN countries. The parties expressed their readiness to strengthen the partnership further through interaction between government and business structures.
They also exchanged views on issues of nation-building and the global economy, including digitization, technology development, artificial intelligence, and human capital.
