In a very symbolic development for Kazakhstan, the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked it 50th out of 148 countries in its global competitiveness rating of world economies for 2013-2014. Kazakhstan rose by one step from last year’s rating. According to the report, Kazakhstan’s best performances are in effectiveness of the labor market (15th) and macroeconomic stability (23rd). Kazakhstan’s boost in the rankings and achievement in these two categories are results of the country’s continuous push to improve and grow economically. The WEF uses 12 main indicators when calculating the index of competitiveness, including quality of institutions, infrastructure and development of the finance market.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono discussed cooperation in oil and gas sphere during the latter’s visit to Kazakhstan on September 3. Their discussion emphasized power generation, oil and gas, telecommunications and tourism as promising areas for economic cooperation. President Yudhoyono explained the reasoning for stronger ties with Kazakhstan. “The economies of our countries are developing dynamically, that is a good basis for intensifying the bilateral cooperation. We will continue to discuss issues of cooperation in the field of investment, security, energy, education and culture,” he said. Both leaders expressed a desire to be more involved in the international agenda, specifically with activities of international organizations. “The Indonesian President’s visit is a significant occurrence and we are confident that it will give a powerful impetus to further cooperation between the two countries,” announced President Nazarbayev during his commentary.
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev held a number of meetings with heads of states and delegations within the framework of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg on Sept. 4 and 5. Nazarbayev met with President of Senegal and Chairman of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Macky Sall and discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation. Nazarbayev emphasised the opportunities for interaction. Sall said the energy sector and high-performance sport were promising directions for cooperation. The Kazakh President also held talks with President of France Francois Hollande to discuss issues regarding bilateral cooperation in the trade, economic and investment spheres. Aspects of developing cooperation in different spheres of common interest were discussed at a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The progress in implementing agreements reached during the visit of British Prime Minister David Cameron to Kazakhstan and topical issues on the international agenda were discussed at Nazarbayev’s meeting with the British prime minister. A wide range of issues regarding bilateral trade and economic cooperation were discussed at the meeting with Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta. Talks with Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper were dedicated to the expansion of bilateral cooperation in different spheres including the agro-industrial complex. Nazarbayev and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed different aspects of their nations’ cooperation, including partnerships in trade, economic and investment spheres. Issues of bilateral cooperation and regional security were addressed at the meeting with Sultan of Brunei Darussalam and Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Hassanal Bolkiah. Nazarbayev and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto discussed the most promising directions for bilateral cooperation. Nazarbayev also met President of the United States Barack Obama. Issues regarding the expansion of bilateral cooperation between the countries, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and regional security were addressed at the meeting. With Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh, Nazarbayev exchanged views on the development of bilateral cooperation in the spheres of trade, science and innovation.
