Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili when the latter officially visited Kazakhstan. At a Nov. 12 meeting, Massimov and Garibashvili discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of bilateral trade and economic, investment and transit-transport cooperation. Following the talks, the heads of the governments held a joint press conference. “We reached a consensus on development of trade and economic cooperation. We are interested in the development of promising areas of the economy, such as transport, communication, the agriculture sector, tourism, etc,” Massimov said. The head of Kazakhstan’s government underlined that a key point of the agenda was expanding the transport corridors that connect the two countries. In this regard, Massimov declared that Kazakhstan is interested in completing the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line that will ensure the export of Kazakh products to Europe by way of the Caspian Sea, as well as Georgian goods through Kazakh territory to the countries of Central Asia and China. “We are interested in the development of private sector, trade and economic cooperation, tourism, export of agriculture products of our countries and deepening cooperation in the fields of science, education, information, culture and sport,” the Georgian Prime Minister stated.
The dynamics of the emigration processes have reduced in Kazakhstan, Vice Minister of National Economy Madina Abylkassymova said at a Nov. 12 meeting on migration processes. “According to the statistics, in 2013 the number of emigrated citizens reduced by almost two times than in 2008,” Abylkassymova noted.
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, hosted a high-level conference Nov. 7-8 to review the progress made within the Council of Europe policy toward its immediate neighbouring regions and exchange views on further development of this policy. Addressing the conference, the head of the Kazakh delegation Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Volkov underlined the significant potential of Kazakh-European dialogue in all dimensions, including the rapidly-developing cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe. He stressed that Kazakhstan considers the mutual desire to cooperate with the Council of Europe as an opportunity to exchange experiences and good knowledge in order to ensure stability, security, economic development and prosperity in the region. He also highlighted the importance of the action plan in the framework of the “Neighbourhood Cooperation Priorities for Kazakhstan 2014-2015: cooperation activities on Council of Europe’s conventions in criminal matters,” adopted in December 2013. Moreover, the head of the Kazakh delegation spoke about support for Kazakh authorities in improving the quality and efficiency of the Kazakh justice system, the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe launched in July and aimed at the convergence of the Kazakh and European systems of justice within the above-mentioned action plan.
Rio de Janeiro hosted the tour of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Nov. 6, with the assistance of the Kazakh Embassy in Brazil and the Ministry of Culture and Sport, as well as Dell’Arte, the Brazilian production company. The tour programme included concerts in Brazil and Argentina aimed at further expanding and strengthening cultural ties with these countries, as well as introducing Kazakh culture and art to Brazilian and Argentinean audiences. The orchestra included talented violinist Galiya Bissengaliyeva, graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music and laureate of international competitions and famous French conductor Nicole Krauss. The concerts were also held in the Brazilian city of Vitoria, and Buenos Aires, Rosario and Córdoba, the major cities of Argentina. In particular, in Buenos Aires the concert was conducted at the world-famous Colon Theatre.
