Tokayev receives Glencore CEO Gary Nagle
Images | Akorda
During the meeting, the current issues of economic decarbonization, some aspects of the company's activity in mining and energy sectors of Kazakhstan were discussed.
The Head of State accentuated attention on the importance to observe the environmental norms and introduce advanced production technology.
The Glencore CEO informed the President about the results in the company's work in Kazakhstan and plans for the upcoming period.
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President Tokayev arrives at Baku Olympic Stadium to attend COP29 World Climate Action Summit
Images | Akorda
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived at the Baku Olympic Stadium to participate in the COP29 World Climate Action Summit, Kazinform News Agency learned from the Akorda press service.
The Head of State was greeted by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The Kazakh President will be the first to address the plenary session of the COP29 Summit, the press service of Akorda notes.
Recall that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Baku on November 11 for a working visit, to participate in the COP29 World Climate Action Summit ongoing under the aegis of the UN Climate Change Conference.
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Olzhas Bektenov takes part in VII China International Import Expo opening in Shanghai
Images | primeminister.kz
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov took part in the opening ceremony of the VII China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The purpose of the annual multi-sectoral event is to strengthen economic integration at the international level. Participation in the exhibition creates new opportunities for expanding trade and economic relations with foreign partners and introducing national products to international markets, primeminister.kz reports.
The opening ceremony of the international exhibition was also attended by Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang, Prime Ministers of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, Mongolia Luvsannamsrai OYUN-ERDENE, Serbia Miloš Vučević.
Last year, Kazakhstan accounted for more than half of China's trade turnover with Central Asian countries.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov in his speech noted the importance of strengthening cooperation between states in the development of barrier-free trade, e-commerce, transport and logistics, the introduction of advanced AI technologies.
It is promising to strengthen co-operation in the creation of a pilot zone "Silk Road E-Commerce". Kazakhstan's pavilions are already successfully operating on the largest trading platforms Alibaba and JD. com, work is underway to open a pavilion on the Douyin platform, to build bonded warehouses and integrated warehousing infrastructure in Kazakhstan to simplify logistics through digital trade channels. Kazakhstan covers more than 80% of land transport from China to Europe. Major infrastructure projects such as the Western Europe-Western China international transit road corridor, a logistics centre in the port of Lianyungang, a cargo terminal in the dry port of Xi'an, a third railway checkpoint on the border with China, etc., aimed at improving the system of transcontinental economic corridors, increasing trade turnover and improving the welfare of the countries' populations, are being implemented.
In the field of digitalisation, the Republic of Kazakhstan ranks 24th on the e-government development index, 10th on online services, and 6th on the government technology maturity index according to the World Bank rating. The exchange of experience on the application of artificial intelligence can become a driving force for economic progress, Olzhas Bektenov emphasised.
Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang and heads of delegations of the countries participating in the international exhibition got acquainted with the products presented at the National Pavilion of Kazakhstan "New Era, Common Future", focused on the theme of digitalisation. The country's achievements, including the development of electronic and financial services, cross-border trade, and investment attraction, were presented by Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev, representatives of National Information Technologies JSC, Kazakh Invest, IFCA, QazTrade, and Kaspi. kz. In addition, startups of Kazakhstani developers were demonstrated, such as: Squares is a service that allows you to quickly find and book a location anywhere in the world; Alaqan AI is a new solution in the field of biometric identification of individuals by the pattern of veins in the palm of the hand; Cerebra AI is the development of diagnostic software based on artificial intelligence to detect stroke and others.
In the commercial pavilion of Kazakhstan, online sales of domestic products became an innovation this year. On the area of 260 m2 the exhibition of goods of about 50 Kazakhstani producers was organised: meat, dairy, oil and fat, grain products, confectionery, juices and drinks, honey, textiles and many others. Streaming through the TikTok platform has been launched, which allows not only visitors to the stand, but also viewers around the world to familiarise themselves with the range of goods and purchase them in real time. Only during the first hours of the exhibition online Kazakhstani goods were sold for about $22 thousand. Also, the pavilion was doubled in size this year, more than 80% of the exhibitors are SMEs. More than 300 thousand Chinese professional buyers visit the international exhibition every year, which creates conditions for increasing exports to China.
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Olzhas Bektenov meets with Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China, on trade and economic cooperation issues
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Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov discussed with the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang the development of trade and economic relations within the framework of the tasks set at the level of Heads of State. They discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, transport and logistics, agriculture, energy, tourism, as well as the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties, primeminister.kz reports.
The parties positively assessed the dynamics of cooperation between Kazakhstan and China on a wide range of issues. In January-September this year, the volume of bilateral trade totalled $33bn.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pays special attention to the development of cooperation with China, our largest trading partner. The state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan has given an additional impetus to Kazakhstan-China co-operation in another era of "golden 30th anniversary". In accordance with the task set at the highest level, we intend to increase mutual trade turnover in the near future. The Government of Kazakhstan is ready to develop full-scale and mutually beneficial cooperation with China across the entire spectrum of interaction," Olzhas Bektenov noted.
The head of the Government stressed that Kazakhstan is ready to increase the scale and optimise the structure of trade, including at the expense of value-added products. We are talking about 180 commodity items worth $1.6 billion. There is a possibility of increasing supplies of products of metallurgical, petrochemical, food, engineering and construction industries.
An important component in Kazakhstan-China relations is co-operation in agriculture. According to the results of 9 months of this year, mutual trade in the sphere of agro-industrial complex increased by 5.8%, which indicates the demand for Kazakhstani organic and environmentally friendly agricultural products from Chinese citizens. In this regard, discussed the possibility of not only expanding the export of Kazakh grain, crop and livestock products, but also accreditation for supplies to the Chinese market new Kazakh enterprises for the production of wheat and barley feed flour, wheat bran, wheat, oilseed crops, etc., as well as the possibility of increasing exports of Kazakh grain, crop and livestock products. Also noted the importance of increasing the acceptance of goods transported by all types of railway wagons.
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and Premier of the State Council of China discussed issues of strengthening cooperation in the transport and logistics sector. Over 80% of land transportations from China to Europe today are carried out through Kazakhstan. In this context, Kazakhstan is interested in deepening cooperation within the framework of the implementation of the One Belt, One Road initiative. Olzhas Bektenov noted that the globally important project together with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, running through the territory of Kazakhstan, can unlock the potential of the North-South and East-West corridors. In the first 9 months of this year, the volume of traffic along the Middle Corridor exceeded the previous year's figures by 23% and amounted to 3.4 million tonnes. It is planned to increase cargo traffic to 10 million tonnes per year by 2030.
In the field of container transportations, as a result of the opening of the Kazakh logistics centre in Xi'an, transit transportations along the China - Europe - China route increased 24 times and reached 24 thousand TEU. In October this year, in cooperation with Lianyungang Port, construction of a container hub in the port of Aktau began. The project will increase the capacity of the port of Aktau on container TFE transshipment up to 300 thousand TEU per year. Also the issues of acceleration of customs processes against the background of 60% increase in the volume of cargo transportation by road transport were discussed. Currently work is underway to open new checkpoints in Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions.
In turn, Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang noted that China intends to continue to follow the course taken by the leaders of the countries to deepen the Kazakh-Chinese strategic partnership.
China and Kazakhstan are long-time friendly neighbours, we are connected by a common border of over 1,700 kilometres. In the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, our countries have built mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of good neighbourliness, friendship, respect and equality. Under the strategic leadership of the Heads of State, our relations have gained a new breath in recent years, reaching a high level of stable and comprehensive strategic partnership," Li Qiang said.
The two sides reaffirmed their intentions to ensure the progressive development of investment and trade and economic cooperation between the two states.
A number of documents were signed at the end of the talks.
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President Tokayev receives credentials from newly-appointed ambassadors and the head of EU Delegation
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Newly-appointed ambassadors of four countries and the head of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan have presented their credentials to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Presidential Residence Akorda.
Presenting their credentials were French Ambassador Sylvain Guiaugué, Head of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić, Finnish Ambassador Janne Heiskanen, Ambassador of Canada Christopher Duggan and Ambassador of Brazil Marcel Fortuna Biato, Akorda reports.
Addressing the diplomats, the President noted that Kazakhstan is committed to a peaceful diplomacy and able to contribute significantly to ensuring security and stability in the international arena. The Head of State also confirmed the country’s commitment to continue close cooperation with the UN on global and regional security issues.
In conclusion, the Kazakh President congratulated the newly appointed ambassadors on the official beginning of their diplomatic mission and conveyed the best wishes to the heads of their states.
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Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between The Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia
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At the invitation of the President of Mongolia, H.E. Mr. Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, paid a State Visit to Mongolia from 28 to 29 October 2024, Akorda reports.
The Heads of the two States (referred to as the "Parties") highly appreciated the steady development of the traditional friendly relations and cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia which were strengthened within the framework of the "Protocol on Establishing Diplomatic Relations" of 1992, the "Agreement on Friendly Relations and Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia" of 1993, and the principles of the "Joint Declaration of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia" of 1998, 2007, and 2008, respectively.
The Parties also welcomed the expanding friendly relations and cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia in various fields such as politics, trade, economy, agriculture, transportation, logistics, education, culture, and tourism, as well as deepening cooperation on regional and international arena.
The Parties agreed that deepening the traditional friendly relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and based on respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and universally accepted principles and norms of international law, will play an important role in strengthening peace and sustainable development not only on the bilateral level but also in the Central Asian region and at the international level and decided to elevate the relations between the two countries to the level of a Strategic Partnership.
The Parties, based on their Strategic Partnership, decided to deepen their cooperation in the following five main areas: 1. Politics, security, and defense 2. Trade and economy 3. Education, culture, science, and information technology 4. Transport, logistics, tourism, and people-to-people exchange 5. Cooperation in regional and international arena.
One. Politics, Security, and Defense
The Heads of the two States agreed to deepen close relations between the Heads of State and Government of the two countries to strengthen political trust through high-level mutual visits and regular dialogue mechanisms. The Parties also stressed the importance of strengthening ties between the highest legislative bodies and expanding relations between the National Security Councils and law enforcement agencies for increased bilateral engagement aiming to ensure stability in the region.
- To exchange high-level visits and hold consultative meetings to strengthen mutual political understanding and consistent support of cooperation between the legislative bodies and friendship groups in Parliament.
- To expand cooperation in the field of security and defense of the two countries, establish a mechanism for consultations between the Ministries of Defense, mutually appoint military attachés, expand military cooperation, and organize joint field exercises.
- Expressed their readiness for close cooperation in countering international terrorism, religious extremism, illegal trafficking in drugs, arms smuggling, transnational organized crime, illegal trafficking in nuclear materials, and illegal migration at the bilateral level. In this context, the Parties will support the strengthening of ties between prosecutorial, judicial, law enforcement, and border protection organizations, as well as special agencies of both countries.
- Considering the active role that both countries play in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, efforts to enhance cooperation and interaction between Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones will be strengthened.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of nuclear energy between the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Executive Office of the Atomic Energy Commission of Mongolia.
- To hold political and consular consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia on a regular basis and renew the plan for cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs for 2025-2027 toward further strengthening cooperation in various areas. The Parties agreed to intensify the mechanism for exchanging views on issues of bilateral relations and the cooperation agenda, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.
- To foster and coordinate expanding exchanges between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia’s local areas. Continue to promote friendship of sister cities, facilitate friendly exchanges between the youth of the two countries.
Two. Trade and Economy
The Parties have agreed to expand mutually beneficial economic cooperation by leveraging the advantages and development resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, such as modern technology, agriculture, light industry, and the abundant natural resources of Mongolia. The Parties have also agreed to expand collaboration, bearing in mind the objectives of Mongolia’s long-term development agenda "Vision-2050".
- To organize the meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia on a regular basis and to enhance the dialogue on trade, investment, and economic cooperation between the two countries. If necessary, bilateral working groups will be established in specific areas.
- To strengthen the legal and regulatory framework of both Parties to further expand and develop trade and economic cooperation. The Parties highly appreciated the establishment of the "Roadmap for enhancing trade and economic cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia for 2025-2027". The Parties also agreed to expedite the process of concluding the "Agreement on Investment Promotion and Mutual Protection," which will play a crucial role in creating a favorable investment climate between the two countries.
- Within the framework of increasing trade turnover between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia to 500 million USD and to diversify the export-import of goods, the Parties will collaborate in exporting wool, cashmere, and leather products from Mongolia to the Kazakhstan market, and in enhancing the volume of fruit and vegetable imports from Kazakhstan to the Mongolian market.
- To expand cooperation in the fields of animal husbandry, agriculture, light industry, and small and medium businesses, taking into account the rich resources of the agricultural sector of both countries.
- To cooperate in implementing large-scale joint projects and programs in the field of agriculture, effectively utilizing the vast plains and pastures of Mongolia.
- To facilitate export-import activities, intensify cooperation between the veterinary and quarantine institutions of the two countries, establish a unified information system, and increase the number of veterinary certificates for food products.
- To continue cooperation in the field of animal health protection including vaccination, taking into account the international standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan on cooperation and the General Administration of Veterinary Medicine of Mongolia in the field of veterinary service and quarantine.
- The Parties welcomed the establishment of the Business Council under the Chamber of International Commerce of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Mongolia. They emphasized the importance of mutual visits of representatives of enterprises and wealth creators, participation in exhibitions and trade organized in both countries, as well as the regular and effective organization of bilateral business forums.
Three. Education, culture, science, and information technology
The Heads of the two States agreed to strengthen the cooperation in such promising areas as education, science, electronic technology, and communications in accordance with the era of modern information technology, deepen cultural ties between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia and thus cooperate in spreading nomadic culture to the world.
- The Mongolian side expressed high appreciation for the provision of higher education to Mongolian students under the scholarship of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- To strengthen the cooperation in the field of education and human resources development, including the implementation of any other scholarship programmes to strengthen the capacity of higher education ensuring sustainable development in the future.
- To provide mutual support for development of Kazakh and Mongolian studies, as well as to support the training of teachers of language, culture and geography of the two countries and specialists and researchers and to cooperate in disseminating Mongolian language in Kazakhstan and training specialists in Mongolian language.
- The Parties expressed willingness to work together to create training opportunities for Kazakh, Mongolian language teachers.
- To work together to take the collaboration of scientific and strategic research institutions to a new level, share the best practices in this context, enhance joint research works, mutually support historical and archaeological research and jointly introduce felt tent dwellers and nomadic culture traditions to the world.
- As the Mongolian side expressed interest in establishing ties with the Turkic Academy at the level of a scientific institution and developing cooperation, the Parties noted the possibility of cooperation in the field of historical research.
- The Parties welcomed the expansion of cooperation in the field of information technology, e-government, space technology, digital development and communications and agreed to cooperate in the implementation of joint projects and programs for the development of electronic infrastructure, e-government and support for various sectors development using information technology, optimization of information infrastructure activities and exchange of experience in the use of advanced technologies.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications of Mongolia in fields of information and communication technologies.
- The Parties emphasized that the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia are closely connected by history, heritage and nomadic traditions and customs since immemorial times, and the Parties will implement joint cultural programs, research resources and study the facts and monuments related to the unique heritage of Kazakh and Mongolian history and culture, and develop the Kazakh and Mongolian studies and work together in scientific joint research works in the field of intangible cultural heritage, and expansion of cooperation between museums.
- In the context of expanding cooperation in the field of culture, developing relations between the Ministries of Culture and related establishments, creating joint working groups, exchange programs for children and youth, as well as cooperation in the field of sports, culture and creative production will be actively supported.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs of Mongolia on cultural cooperation.
- The Parties welcomed the fact that scientists from both countries conducted archaeological excavations in the Bulgan, Arkhangai and Khentii provinces of Mongolia and discovered valuable monuments illuminating the lives, culture and religion of the nomads in Central Asia. In the future, the Parties decided to conduct research works within a specific topic on a long-term and sustainable basis.
Four. Transport, logistics, tourism, and people-to-people exchange
As part of the expansion of trade and economic relations, the Parties have agreed to intensify air transportation and establish direct air service between Astana and Ulaanbaatar. The Parties also aim to gradually create new transport and logistics routes, expand cooperation in the field of tourism, increase people-to-people exchange, and emphasize the importance of building stronger ties between the peoples of the two countries.
- The Parties appreciated the expansion of road transport links between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, including direct air and road transport, which plays an important role in increasing trade, economics, tourism, and people-to-people exchange.
- The Parties have decided to continue seeking solutions and opportunities to address problems and obstacles in the rail, road, and air transport sectors of the two countries through dialogue with the countries in the region.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Road and Transport Development of Mongolia.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of Mongolia on cooperation in the field of aviation search and rescue.
- The Parties concurred on the promotion of cooperation toward strengthening connectivity within and beyond the region, including "Trans-Caspian International Transport Route" (Middle Corridor).
- In order to increase the frequency of regular direct flights between the two countries, the Parties will cooperate in exploring the possibility of direct flights between Astana and Ulaanbaatar.
- Recognizing that the tourism sector plays an important role in bilateral cooperation between the two countries, the Parties will strengthen cooperation between tourism organizations and agencies, jointly organize tourism events, and promote and support the development of tourism based on nomadic culture and customs.
- The Parties have agreed to increase investment in the tourism sector and cooperate in the development of tourism infrastructure and facilities.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs of Mongolia on cooperation in the field of tourism.
- The Parties welcomed the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation on pension between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of Mongolia.
Five. Cooperation on regional and international arena
The Heads of the two States have agreed to strengthen regional and international cooperation, as well as to deepen collaboration within the framework of the UN and other international organizations.
- The Republic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia have actively collaborated within the UN, the IAEA and other international organizations and highly valued each other’s mutual support in elections to international organizations.
- Both countries have similar positions on international and regional issues and expressed their continued mutual support for initiatives within the framework of international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building in Asia, and the SCO.
- The Parties expressed their commitment to actively contribute to global efforts to combat climate change, address desertification, and protect the environment. In this context the Republic of Kazakhstan has confirmed its participation at the high level in the forthcoming 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be held in 2026 in Mongolia. Mongolia has expressed its participation at the high level in the Regional Climate Summit under the auspices of the UN in 2026 in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- The Parties concurred on the achievement of the common goal of carbon neutrality/net-zero following various pathways. In this regard, both sides welcomed the progress of cooperation projects by the private sector in the energy sector.
- The Republic of Kazakhstan has also supported Mongolia’s initiative "Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security" and confirmed that it will continue to actively cooperate within the framework of this initiative. The Parties have agreed to coordinate the two countries' efforts on regional security issues and expand cooperation further.
- The Parties highlighted the importance of implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and expressed their commitment to enhancing cooperation in areas such as poverty reduction, food security, climate change mitigation, and support for sustainable development.
- To advance the fight against climate change, desertification, land degradation, and afforestation, the Parties agreed to coordinate the implementation of the "Two Billion Trees" national program initiated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the "One Billion Trees" national movement initiated by the President of Mongolia.
- The Parties expressed high appreciation for their collaboration within the "Multilateral Agreement for the Establishment of an International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries" which was inaugurated at Mongolia's initiative.
- Mongolia commends Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish a special multilateral body - the International Agency for Biological Safety (IABS).
The State Visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K. Tokayev to Mongolia was an event of special significance which contributed to the development of traditional friendly relations between the two countries to the level of Strategic Partnership and opened a new historical page in relations between the two countries.
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K. Tokayev expressed gratitude to President U. Khurelsukh and the people of Mongolia for the warm welcome and extended an invitation to President U.Khurelsukh to pay a State Visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan at his convenience.
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Head of State took part in the BRICS Plus summit
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President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a speech at the outreach / BRICS Plus plenary meeting in Kazan, Akorda reports.
The Head of State stressed that BRICS is becoming a global centre of international attraction, in which many countries have a practical interest in mutually beneficial cooperation.
BRICS has enormous potential for development, uniting nations across continents, building solidarity and effectively harnessing shared opportunities for the benefit of all participants. BRICS has both the resources and experience to foster a future built on shared prosperity, mutual respect and enduring partnership", - said the President.
According to him, the multilateral efforts of the BRICS harmoniously complement the activities of the UN, which remains an indispensable and universal organization.
The principles of diplomacy and dialogue enshrined in the UN Charter have become the basis of the BRICS agenda, contributing to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and strengthening strategic stability. We highly appreciate Russia's concept of creating equal and indivisible security in Eurasia, aimed at reducing geopolitical tensions by strengthening mutual trust and cooperation. In this context, Kazakhstan supports China’s Global Security Initiative, aimed at upholding sustainable security, sovereignty, multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of crises. Kazakhstan also supports the China and Brazil peace plan for Ukraine", - said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The Head of State expressed his concern about the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
Jointly addressing the root causes of conflicts, such as poverty, inequality and lack of education, in our view, remains a key factor in strengthening international political solidarity. Kazakhstan supports the reform of the UN Security Council and its expansion with new members from Africa, Latin America and Asia", - the President noted.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that the voices of the Global South should be heard in addressing issues of peace and security. He added that BRICS could play a key role in this process by strengthening the representation of middle powers and emerging economies in the structure of global governance.
The Head of State then noted the dynamic growth of Kazakhstan's trade with the BRICS countries, the volume of which in 2023 made up half of the country's foreign trade turnover. Promising areas for mutually beneficial partnership, according to the speech, include trade and investment, IT technology, critical minerals, food security, education and tourism.
The speech paid special attention to strengthening cooperation in the transit and transport sphere, primarily within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor).
The need for a strong BRICS Plus partnership to enhance energy security as well as to address the impacts of climate change such as water scarcity, extreme heat and desertification was noted.
In conclusion, the President stressed that joint efforts in the BRICS Plus format will make it possible to significantly enhance North-South connectivity, eliminate imbalances in the development of states, significantly strengthen international security and create conditions for global progress.
The summit is bringing together representatives from 36 countries and heads of six international organisations, with about 20 delegations represented at the highest level.
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Olzhas Bektenov takes part in SCO Heads of State Council session in Islamabad
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Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov took part in the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which was held in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, primeminister.kz reports.
At the meeting of the SCO SGP, attention was paid to the implementation of agreements reached at the level of Heads of State on the margins of the summit held in July this year in Astana. Measures to deepen cooperation in trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres in the new conditions were considered, including taking into account Belarus' acquisition of the status of a full member state of the Organisation.
Last year, Kazakhstan's trade turnover with the SCO countries grew by 6 per cent to $66.7 billion. In general, the share of the SCO states in the global GDP is 30%, while trade within the association exceeded a quarter of the total volume.
Olzhas Bektenov emphasised that the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the leaders of the SCO member states have laid a strategic foundation for further development of multifaceted cooperation between the member states. In this regard, in order to ensure sustainable dynamics in trade in the slowdown of the global economy, new points of growth are needed.
The Kazakh side noted the need to develop digitalisation and online trade, modernisation of existing railway and road routes within the framework of creating a partner port and logistics network, mutually beneficial cooperation in the spheres of energy and investment. Special attention was paid to the implementation of a set of measures in the field of climate change, effective waste management, as well as strengthening contacts between education and healthcare institutions. Close cooperation in these areas will help create favourable conditions for sustainable development and prosperity of the Shanghai Ten countries.
The meeting resulted in the signing of 8 documents, including a decision on the Concept of New Economic Dialogue between the SCO member states.
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