Kazakh top diplomat outlines Astana's priorities in Asia
During the Government hour in the Majilis today, Mr. Abdrakhmanov highlighted that Kazakhstan pays great attention to the development of trade, economic and political ties with Asian countries.
In his speech, he noted that the role of Asian states will continue to grow in the near future, stressing that today their collective share in the global economy amounts to 34%.
According to the Ministry's data, Kazakhstan's trade turnover with Asian countries in January-September 2017 grew by 23% or $13.3 billion compared with the same period of 2016.
It was also noted that in 2016-2017, President Nazarbayev made 9 foreign visits to Asian countries, two to China, and one to Japan, South Korea, Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the heads of 12 Asian countries and governments visited the republic over the reporting period.
According to the Minister, with regards to East Asia, Kazakhstan pursues a pragmatic and active policy paying special attention to the development of multilateral strategic relations with the People's Republic of China, as the state with growing geopolitical influence, powerful economy, as well as advanced financial and technological capabilities.
The Ministry's data suggests that over the last 10 years China has invested over $14 billion into Kazakhstan's economy which makes it one of the main foreign investors of our country.
Mr. Abdrakhmanov stressed that the Republic of Kazakhstan is committed to deepening its mutually beneficial partnership with Japan with the focus on trade and economic cooperation. He also noted that Astana and Tokyo are close allies in the field of nuclear non-proliferation.
It was mentioned that in November 2016, during the official visit of the Head of State to Japan, the two countries signed a joint statement on expanded strategic partnership, as well as 13 bilateral commercial agreements for a total of $1.2 billion.
Kazakh Foreign Minister also dwelled upon the country's cooperation with South Korea, stressing that it is one of the key partners of Kazakhstan in terms of industrial development and economic diversification. Kairat Abdrakhmanov added that the amount of South Korean investments into Kazakhstan's economy since 2007 amounted to almost $4.6 billion.
According to the top diplomat, Kazakhstan considers Mongolia as another important partner in the region, due to its large Kazakh diaspora. The priority issues of bilateral cooperation with Mongolia, as noted by the Minister, are the opening of a consular post in the Bayanolgy aimak, as well as the construction of a highway connecting Mongolia and Kazakhstan that would run through the territories of China and Russia.
In conclusion, the head of the Foreign Office also spoke about a number of other Asian countries with which Kazakhstan is establishing cooperation and intends to strengthen it.