The participation of His Highness the Amir in the Astana International Forum is an important opportunity to discuss all ways to enhance cooperation

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His Excellency Mr. Ali Bek Quantirov, Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, affirmed the existence of a common vision for the future of cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State of Qatar, stressing that the distinguished relations between them pave the way for a new phase of economic and trade partnerships and other fields.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), His Excellency said, “The visit of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and His Highness’s participation in the Astana International Forum, is an important opportunity to discuss all ways to enhance cooperation.”
He pointed out that His Highness the Amir’s honoring of the forum at the invitation of His Excellency President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, is evidence of the close and brotherly relations between the leaderships of the two countries.
He explained that Kazakhstan views the State of Qatar as a country with a prominent role at the international level, noting that there is a common desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation relations, which are developing thanks to the common desire, coinciding with the high frequency of mutual visits and high-level meetings between the two sides.
HE the Kazakh Minister of National Economy said: The visit of His Highness the Emir of Qatar to Astana in October of last year, and before that the visit of His Excellency the Kazakh President to Doha in June of the same year, contributed to raising the level of coordination and cooperation, and the signing of agreements and memorandums of understanding. In the areas of: investment, education, regional cooperation, trade, health, and others.
He stressed that the visit of His Highness the Emir of Qatar and his honoring of the “Astana International Forum” will be a catalyst for more cooperation in the areas that were previously discussed, as well as discussing new areas and projects that will make a quantum leap in the partnership between the two sides.
He explained that all the current economic indicators, such as the volume of trade exchange and investment growth, show that there is an increasing pace, and therefore there is great hope for the future, especially with the increase in the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.

His Excellency Mr. Ali Bek Quantirov, Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, stated that in the period from January to April 2023, the volume of trade exchange between Kazakhstan and Qatar increased by 14.2 times, to reach $1.9 million in that period only, while the volume of trade exchange between the two sides in the year The past amounted to $6.6 million, an increase of 4.8% over the same period in 2021 ($6.3 million).
He pointed out that the total direct investment in the Republic of Kazakhstan by Qatari investors amounted to $13.1 million in 2022 (a three-fold increase compared to 2021, in which the volume of investments from Qatari investors amounted to $4.4 million), and in general, during the period from 2005 to 2022. Qatari investments in Kazakhstan are estimated at $56.6 million.
He stressed that the current indicators after the “Covid-19” pandemic show the existence of trade and economic cooperation potentials that have not yet been fully realized, and therefore there are many possibilities for increasing trade indicators and the volume of trade exchange, expecting an increase in the flow of Kazakh products to Qatar in 60 commodities, with a value of about 243 million. dollar.
In this regard, His Excellency said, “We are currently working with the Qatari side to cooperate in joint projects in the mining sector, food production and others. For example, we have established a joint investment company, implementing projects in the mining complex, and the joint assembly of electric buses” Falcon Euro Bus “. , the construction of a milk processing plant with the “Dinara” group, the construction of a tourist complex on the Caspian Sea and other projects.
He added that his country is working very hard to attract investors, as it is a leading country in Central Asia in attracting foreign investments, and according to the results of the first half of 2022, Kazakhstan’s share in the foreign direct investment structure was 24%.
He revealed that Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund “Samruk Kazina” and the Qatar Investment Authority are currently discussing the establishment of a joint private equity fund, and promising investment projects on favorable terms for Qatari investors, including special preferences and tax incentives, will be discussed.
His Excellency the Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan stressed that the countries of Central Asia have great potential that the world still has not realized, as the region’s gross domestic product has grown at an average rate of 6.2% annually, to reach $347 billion in the past twenty years, and the volume of accumulated investments from countries is estimated The other countries amounted to about $570 billion, and the volume of foreign trade has increased sixfold since 2000.
He said: The countries of the region enjoy a historical opportunity to benefit from their position as transit countries, as well as opportunities to enter foreign or foreign markets through emerging international transport corridors, and great opportunities are linked to the coordinated development of the energy and water complex, including “green” energy.
He added that cooperation between the regions of Central Asia and the Middle East will be beneficial for the economic development of both sides, and there are important development prospects in which investors from the State of Qatar can participate. On the other hand, Kazakhstan, which has no sea outlet, is generally interested in the joint development and use of maritime infrastructure in the Middle East. .
At the end of his interview with QNA, His Excellency Mr. Ali Bek Quantirov, Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, expressed his country’s desire to provide investment opportunities for Qatari investors in the field of tourism, building the ski complex “Issyk” in the Almaty region, and building a tourist complex in the resort ” Burabai” and on the Caspian Sea coast, in addition to other projects in the agricultural sector, such as: a project to build a dairy farm in the “Kostanay” region, and a project to expand poultry production in the “Zambil” region.

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