Kazakh President attends informal meeting of CIS Heads of State
Attending the meeting were President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarusian Leader Alexander Lukashenko, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian Head of State Vladimir Putin, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Leader of Tajikistan Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and Uzbek Head of State Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Addressing the participants, Kazakh President Tokayev noted that the meetings in St. Petersburg give a great chance to exchange views on the ongoing issues of interaction within the CIS and outline future tasks.
The Head of State stressed that as part of its CIS presidency his country adopted a number of concrete measures to strengthen the Commonwealth’s potential.
«Throughout the year, over 80 major events were held. Many initiatives aimed at expanding the economic cooperation, maintaining close humanitarian ties and strengthening the Organization’s authority were carried out. Our joint efforts were reflected in the documents adopted following the Astana Summit in October. During the entire year, special attention was placed mainly on the realization of the tasks set within the 2030 CIS Economic Development Strategy. All these steps were effective. I’d like to note with satisfaction that the trade turnover of Kazakhstan with the CIS countries amounted to almost $30bn in January-October this year, a 11% rise compared with 2021 ($26.5bn). There was a rise by nearly $5bn,» said the Kazakh Head of State.
According to him, it is important to keep the upward trend in interregional trade and adapt the economic policy to the modern realities.
«I’d like to draw your attention to the creation of favorable conditions for trade. We believe that it is necessary to work in detail on eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers, avoid protectionism. It is importance to establish interaction regarding food security. A CIS ministerial conference scheduled to take place in Astana next year is set to look for common approaches in the area. We hope for active participation of relevant ministries. New mechanisms and formats of cooperation to increase the efficiency of transport and logistics projects within the CIS are needed. In this regard, the North-South international corridor with the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway as the important transport artery is of special significance,» stated the Kazakh President.
The Head of State went on to call the interaction in security as another key area.
«To adapt the Organization to the modern global realities we should enhance its potential, strengthen its position in the international arena. Documents are to be prepared to establish CIS Observer and Partner institutions in the near future. Certainly, the common cultural and humanitarian cooperation and strengthening of language space in the CIS is of paramount importance. St. Petersburg’s official status as the CIS cultural capital for 2023 will benefit greater cultural ties between the CIS countries,» noted Tokayev.
The Kazakh President thanked Vladimir Putin for the invitation and warm welcome as well as wished Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov success in his country’s presidency of the CIS in 2023.
Photo: akorda.kz