Project for construction of World Trade Center building in Astana presented to the President
The meeting was also attended by head of the Presidential Administration A. Issekeshev, Astana’s Mayor B. Sultanov and architect-designer Kenneth Bruce James Anderson.
The Head of State was presented a project to build the World Trade Center building in the capital of Kazakhstan, which is planned to be fully implemented at the expense of foreign investment.
Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that the current meeting became a continuation of the negotiations that took place on the margins of the Kazakhstan-European business forum in Brussels last October.
“In Brussels, we discussed your proposals and agreed to meet again. Taking into account the extensive experience of the World Trade Centers Association in the implementation of such projects, I am confident that our cooperation will be fruitful for both parties. I would like the project to match the mood, the spirit of our capital and harmoniously fit into its architecture”, the President of Kazakhstan said.
The Head of State focused on the process of Astana’s building and establishing, having told about the history of each architectural object.
Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized that Astana, being the center of the Eurasian continent, combines the architectural styles and traditions of Western and Eastern cultures.
In addition, the Head of State spoke about the progress and results of the construction of pavilions for the international specialized exhibition EXPO-2017.
“When we won the right to host EXPO 2017, we announced a competition. The Nur Alem Sphere with a diameter of 80 meters is the unique building in the world. I watched its construction. Today, on the basis of the infrastructure of the EXPO-2017 exhibition, we’ve opened the Astana International Financial Center, the International Center for Green Technologies and the International Technopark of IT Startups. International IT university is also established here. I think that the synergy of all projects will produce a good multiplicative effect”, the President of Kazakhstan said.
The board member of the World Trade Centers Association Rolf Draak thanked the Head of State for the opportunity to meet and discuss the project to build the new facility in the capital.
In turn, Mehran Eftekhar, corporate investment director at Nest Investments HOLDINGS, emphasized that Astana has particular strategic importance in the process of expanding the company's trade and economic ties.
“Our investment group owns 18 major World Trade Centers. We know how to build and how to manage such objects. Kazakhstan, Astana, in particular, is an important place in our strategic expansion due to the country’s participation in the large project “One Belt, One Road”, M. Eftekhar said.
At the end of the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev approved the submitted draft of the new World Trade Center building and instructed Mayor of Astana, B. Sultanov, to begin joint work on its implementation.
