Abdullah bin Zayed chairs 'UAE-Kazakhstan Joint Committee'
The Kazakh side was chaired by Beibut Atamkulov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, WAM reports.
In his speech during the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah welcomed Atamkulov and his delegation while expressing his hope that the session will help continue the successes achieved by the relationship between the two countries.
«The relationship between Kazakhstan and the UAE is strong and was established by the mutual trust between the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Nursultan Nazarbayev, First President of Kazakhstan. The UAE aims to build on these achievements, which are the outcomes of the mutual visits by the leadership of the two countries in 2018 and 2019, as well as the economic agreements signed on the sidelines of these visits,» Sheikh Abdullah said.
He especially praised the outcomes of the visits of Nursultan Nazarbayev to the UAE in March in 2018 and 2019, as well as the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to Kazakhstan in July 2018.
He also praised the agreements and legal documents recently signed by the two countries, most notably an agreement to promote and protect mutual investments and the partnership between the Higher Committee of the Expo 2020 Dubai and the Government of Kazakhstan, as well as investment agreements related to the petrochemical industry and managing special economic zones.
«These agreements reflect the growing economic relations between our countries. Kazakhstan is the first destination for Emirati investments in Central Asia, valued at around US$2 billion while the value of their trade exchange increased from $246 million in 2016 to $415 million in 2018,» he added.
«Both countries have witnessed significant growth in terms of tourism, with the number of Emirati tourists visiting Kazakhstan amounting to about 5,000 while the number of Kazakh tourists visiting the UAE reached around 145,000 in 2018,» he further added.
«We can see many opportunities to strengthen our bilateral cooperation in oil and gas, petrochemicals, renewable energy, food security, metallurgy and logistics, as well as to exchange knowledge and expertise in the areas of economic diversification, free zone management, peaceful nuclear energy and space science. At this point, I must thank your country for giving us the opportunity in the field of space, and I look forward with much pride to the launch of the first Emirati astronaut from your country in a few days. There is no doubt that, in the UAE, we will be proud to witness this moment, as we are an ambitious country willing to invest in the youth and girls. This would have been difficult without our partners, such as you. Thank you,» Sheikh Abdullah stressed.
He then highlighted the importance of benefitting from the strategic location of the UAE’s business sector, as well as its infrastructure and business environment, making it an ideal destination for investments and a major trade gateway to regional markets.
Sheikh Abdullah pointed out that the civil aviation sector plays a key role in promoting cooperation in many areas of common interest, most notably, those related to trade, tourism and investment, which requires greater coordination in transporting passengers and goods, as well as in trade and tourism, especially following the mutual exemption of the citizens of the two countries from requiring entry visas, which came into force on 10th March, 2018.
«To complement the bilateral cooperation between our countries, I would like to thank Kazakhstan for supporting many of the UAE's nominations in international organisations and forums», he affirmed while thanking Dr. Mohammed Ahmed bin Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Ambassador to Kazakhstan; Madyar Minilikov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UAE, and the chairmen of various preparatory meetings for preparing the work of the committee.
He also noted that the relationship between the UAE and Kazakhstan is special and important and deserves a lot of work because it holds many hopes.
Atamkulov thanked Sheikh Abdullah for hosting the committee, stressing the long-standing strategic relations between the two countries have witnessed remarkable overall development and growth. They then signed the minutes of the seventh session of the committee.
He also witnessed the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding, MoU, between the two countries, including one between the UAE National Accreditation System at the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology and the National Accreditation Centre in Kazakhstan.
From the UAE side, the MoU was signed by Dr. Rehab Al Ameri, Director of the National Accreditation Department, and from the Kazakh side by Kainer Tizanov, Director-General of the National Accreditation Centre. An MoU was also signed between the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Affairs and Lyceum School 84 at Noor Sultan City by Mohammed Haji Al Khouri, Director-General of the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, and by Josubova Zauri Ginaitovna, a Kazakh, and Director of the Lyceum School.
Sheikh Abdullah held a meeting with Atamkulov, during which they discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations and develop cooperation between the two countries, in addition to exchanging views on the latest developments in the region, alongside regional and international issues of common interest.
Atamkulov underlined the distinguished bilateral relations between the UAE and Kazakhstan, supported by the leadership of the two countries, and pointed out the keenness to strengthen them and develop areas of cooperation for the benefit of the people of the two countries.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Al Jaber and Minilikov, as well as several officials from both countries.
