Kazakhstan and UK reaffirm commitment to strategic partnership
The Kazakh Foreign Minister congratulated the British politician on his appointment, noting interest in continuing to develop the constructive relations with the new leadership of Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Government.
As both sides confirmed their commitment to further strengthening and expanding the strategic partnership between the States, the plans for reciprocal visits and high-level events in the upcoming period were discussed. They include autumn meetings of the Strategic Dialogue at the foreign ministers level and of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic, Scientific and Technical and Cultural Cooperation, as well as the Investment Forum Kazakhstan Global Investment Forum – 2019, to take place in October this year in London.
The interlocutors underlined the need to speed up the economic dimension of the bilateral cooperation, effectively use the transit and transport potential of Kazakhstan and the capacities of the Astana International Financial Center to expand partnership in the financial and logistics sectors.
It was also noted to strengthen the cultural and humanitarian and educational cooperation, including through expanding the Kazakh youth’s opportunities to get an education in institutions of secondary and higher education in Britain, and fostering interaction between universities of the two countries.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is among the top 10 trade partners of Kazakhstan in terms of trade turnover. In 2018, the mutual trade stood at 1.2 billion US dollars. Britain is also among the 6 major countries investing in Kazakhstan.
Between 2005 and 2018, the inflow of direct foreign investment from Great Britain to Kazakhstan totaled at 13 billion US dollars.
800 companies with the British participation by far operate in Kazakhstan.
Earlier this year, Sir Alan Duncan, UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Baroness Nicholson, UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Kazakhstan have visited Kazakhstan.
