Kazakhstan ready to support Greek investors - Vice Minister
"Kazakhstan is planning to implement a project on digitalization of a number of local industrial enterprises and further disseminate that experience. In order to do so, it will actively cooperate with foreign business to exchange experience and achieve mutually profitable cooperation. As far as I know, Greece has a lot of highly skilled specialists and engineers. I think we have a lot of jobs [for them]. Our Government, in turn, is ready to support Greek investors (...) We are ready to provide Greek companies a platform where they can implement projects in the free economic and industrial zones," said Kabikenov, while speaking at the Kazakh-Greek Business Forum in Astana.
Birzhan Kaneshev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest National Company, drew attention of the forum participants to another sector in which Kazakhstan and Greece can successfully cooperate -agriculture.
He reminded the guests from Greece of Kazakhstan's climate which is favorable for growing crops in the north and gourds in the south.
Kaneshev continued by saying that lentils which is very popular in the Mediterranean countries and production of which has skyrocketed in Kazakhstan over the past year can help Kazakhstan and Greece find common ground in agriculture.
Konstantinos Bitsios, Executive Vice-Chairman of the SEV-Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, in turn, reiterated Greece's readiness to development cooperation.
"We are willing to develop cooperation with Kazakhstan, including through the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC)," he said, adding that Astana and Athens should step up not only intergovernmental but also private sector dialogue.
According to the Kazakh Ministry for Investment and Development, two-way trade between Kazakhstan and Greece amounted to $980 million in 2017, demonstrating a 10% growth compared to 2016.
