ASTANA – BeNeLux Chamber of Commerce, uniting the trade circles of the Kingdoms of Belgium and the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Kazakh Chamber of International Commerce signed an agreement on April 4 to establish the Netherlands-Kazakhstan Business Council, reported the BeNeLux press service.
Photo credit: BeNeLux Chamber of Commerce
The establishment of the council is expected to enhance cooperation in economic sectors such as water treatment engineering and infrastructure, renewable energy, agriculture, and the chemical industry.
During the ceremony, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kazakhstan Nico Schermers commended the initiative of Denis Van den Weghe, President of the Benelux Chamber of Commerce, for spearheading the creation of the council, emphasizing its potential to invigorate trade and business relations.
In his video address to the event’s participants, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Askar Zhumagaliyev underlined that the business council aims to “serve as a platform where the ideas will arise, and partnerships will be built.”
The Netherlands is one of the top five trading partners, maintaining its status as the top foreign investor in Kazakhstan. In 2023, bilateral trade turnover reached $4.4 billion, with foreign direct investment from the Netherlands to Kazakhstan totaling $111.7 billion from 2005 to 2023.
Murat Karymsakov, chairman of the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan (CIC), emphasized the CIC’s commitment to protecting the legal rights and interests of domestic and international companies operating in Kazakhstan.
Over 900 legal entities with Dutch capital participation are registered in Kazakhstan. These enterprises span a range of services, including oil and gas, geological exploration, agricultural machinery and equipment supply, pharmaceuticals and medicine, and consumer goods production.
As of today, Witteveen+Bos, FoodVentures, Rijk Zwaan, Nijhuis Saur Industries, Amicorp Group, Dutch Clean Tech, Impulse Plants, Veon Holdings BV, and Mokveld represent the Dutch business community as members of the Benelux Chamber of Commerce.
Van den Weghe extended an invitation to all stakeholders to attend the inaugural meeting of the business council, which will be held in mid-June in Astana as part of the Astana International Forum.
