Singapore ready to share its experience in state enterprises privatization with Kazakhstan
At the meeting, Speaker Tokayev stressed that Singapore is genuinely respected in Kazakhstan as a highly-developed and multinational state. The visit of the first Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew to Kazakhstan in 1991 and President Nursultan Nazarbayev's visits to Singapore in 1996 and 2003 laid a solid foundation for bilateral ties and allowed Kazakhstan to carefully look into Singapore's experience in nation-building.
Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev also briefed the Singaporean guest on the Senate's role in the political system of Kazakhstan and implementation of the National Plan that includes five institutional reforms.
Bilateral inter-parliamentary contacts were highly praised by participants of the meeting as well. The Kazakhstan-Singapore inter-parliamentary contacts were lifted to a higher level as a result of Tokayev's visit to Singapore in April. Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore Halimah Yacob is expected to pay a reciprocal visit to Kazakhstan.
Goh Chok Tong, who happens to be former Prime Minister of Singapore, in turn, pointed out that Kazakhstan is a very important country in Central Asia which was repeatedly stressed by founding father of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew.
In his words, his visit to Astana is set to shift Singaporean business elite's interest from the ASEAN region, China and India to Kazakhstan. Goh Chok Tong added that in this respect the International specialized exhibition EXPO 2017 opens limitless opportunities.
The Singaporean MP also noted that Singapore is ready to share its experience in privatization of state enterprises and cooperate in the development of soft infrastructure. He cited the example of successful cooperation between the Nazarbayev University and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.