Kazakhstan, Lithuania mark 30th anniversary of bilateral cooperation

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NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM Today marks 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Lithuania, Kazinform learned from the MFA press service.

On the occasion of this symbolic anniversary, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko and Ambassador of Lithuania to Kazakhstan Gintautas Vasiulis held a ceremony of exchanging congratulatory messages on behalf of the heads of the two states and ministers of foreign affairs.

Through these years, a trusting dialogue has been established and maintained between the countries at the highest and high levels, contributing to the strengthening of constructive relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats.

7 November 1993, in Almaty Agreement on mutual understanding and cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Lithuania was signed, which laid a solid legal foundation for bilateral relations.

Lithuania was one of the first in 2016 to ratify the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union.

Inter-parliamentary interaction occupies a special place in bilateral relations. In the Parliament of Kazakhstan and the Seimas of Lithuania, there are groups of inter-parliamentary friendship and cooperation, which contribute to the expansion of contacts between deputies through exchange of visits and implementing various thematic projects.

The high level of political relations between Kazakhstan and Lithuania created favorable conditions for the potential implementation in the trade and economic spheres. Lithuania is one of the ten main trading partners of Kazakhstan among the countries of the European Union and the thirtieth largest trade partner in the world. At the same time, our country is among the twenty largest trading partners of Lithuania. In 2021, the volume of mutual trade amounted to USD 454 million, including exports from Kazakhstan – USD 356.3 million, imports to Kazakhstan – USD 97.5 million, it increased by 311% compared to the same period in 2021 (USD 71.6 million) and amounted to USD 294.4 million, while the export of the Republic of Kazakhstan increased by 382% and amounted to USD 265 million.

An effective mechanism for strengthening and developing interaction between the two countries is the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (IGC), established in 2000. Prospects for interaction in such areas as investment, transport and logistics, IT, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, education, as well as the legal framework expansion were outlined.

Today, about 170 Lithuanian companies are represented on the Kazakh market. Dozens of Kazakh companies are present in Lithuania.

Lithuanian community «Lithuanica» is an active member of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan. The 7,000-strong Lithuanian diaspora in Kazakhstan makes a significant contribution to the rapprochement and development of our countries.

Kazakhstan and Lithuania are successfully interacting in a number of areas and are ready to work on further expanding and strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation.


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