ASTANA – The Astana International Forum (AIF) participants shared their impressions with The Astana Times about the first day of the forum on June 8 in the Kazakh capital.
Michel Roee, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Israel-Kazakhstan. Photo credit: The Astana Times.
According to Michel Roee, chairman of the Israel-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce, the AIF is one of the most important platforms for opinion exchange among countries, businesses, and individuals. He emphasized Kazakhstan’s potential to alleviate supply chain disruption and the food security crisis, which have increased severely due to geopolitical tensions.
“The potential of Kazakhstan in food production is giant. Now you have to combine (…) management and high technologies to incorporate insight into the agricultural world. This is the future of Kazakhstan because you can feed one billion people,” Roee said.
Arman Tastanbekov, the owner of the law firm. Photo credit: The Astana Times.
Arman Tastanbekov, the owner of Arman N. Tastanbekov Esquire law office, echoed Roee’s views.
“Considering Kazakhstan’s position as a food and energy supplier, it is important to keep those supply chains uninterrupted to preserve the country’s revenues and sustain its economy,” he said.
Tastanbekov also emphasized the importance of political and business management being on the same page when recognizing difficulties, as this is the first step toward fixing those problems.
Vlastimil Samek, Representative of the United Nations Department of Global Communication. Photo credit: The Astana Times.
Vlastimil Samek, a representative of the United Nations Department of Global Communications, emphasized the importance of global-scale forums, such as the AIF, praising President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiative to provide a platform for people to exchange opinions.
Kwati Candith Mashego-Dlamini, deputy minister of international relations and cooperation in South Africa, noted that the forum would provide hope to Central Asia.
“This forum is really going to give hope to the Central Asia region, to consolidate its work and economy, so they start to approach the outside market of Central Asia together,” she said.
Kwati Candith Mashego-Dlamini, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa. Photo credit: The Astana Times.
Stefano Stefanini, former Permanent Representative to NATO and former diplomatic advisor to the President of Italy, highlighted the importance of discussions on climate change.
“You have actually reminded us that there are other progresses that we must not forget, namely climate change and its effect on this part of the world. Climate change is an issue for all of us. It is refreshing to hear from your leaders that you want to take it seriously, and we want to help,” he said.
Stefano Stefanini, Former Permanent Representative to NATO, Former Diplomatic Advisor to the President of Italy. Photo credit: The Astana Times.
The AIF has welcomed over 1,000 delegates from over 100 countries, including government officials, representatives of diplomatic missions, international organizations, companies, as well as experts.
The forum will continue tomorrow. The first sessions on the second day will cover topics including energy security, finance, international diplomacy and AI.
