Kazakhstan’s trade, economic and cultural coop with regions of Spain develops actively
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Spain Konstantin Zhigalov paid a working visit to the autonomous community of Catalonia, Strategy2050.kz reports with reference to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.
The Kazakh Ambassador met with Director General of the Fira de Barcelona Exhibition Complex C. Serrallonga and Chief Executive Officer R. Zapatero to discuss the holding of the “Smart Cities Congress” in July next year in Nur-Sultan. The sides also summed up the results of Zapatero’s visit to the Kazakhstani capital in January and his negotiations with Mayor Kulginov.
Results of the region’s business missions to Kazakhstan in 2018 and 2019 were discussed with the leadership of the Girona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on the basis of which the parties are currently preparing the visit of the delegation of business circles of Catalonia to Kazakhstan in June this year. The main focus is supposed to be on expanding cooperation in the agricultural, petrochemical and tourism sectors, as well as in the health sector. These issues were discussed in more detail during a series of bilateral meetings.
Thus, Ambassador Zhigalov and new director of Girona Airport V. Pallarès Piqué discussed the possibility of joint development with Kazakhstan tour operators of a package for Kazakhstan tourists, including the opening of a charter flight for the summer period and accommodation in hotels on the “all inclusive” system on one of the best Mediterranean coasts - Costa Brava. Given the convenient geographical location of Girona (near Barcelona, Andorra, etc.), this tourist route can be a very attractive destination.
Results of the regular visit to the Kazakh capital were discussed with the leadership of the Catalan company Iberhospitex, according to which by the end of 2020 it is planned to open a local facility for the production of medical equipment and high-tech products in the sphere of cardiovascular intervention in the city of Nur-Sultan.
Konstantin Zhigalov visited the National Library of Catalonia and met with its long-term director Eugènia Serra. The Ambassador presented First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev’s books “The Era of Independence” and “The Way of Kazakhstan”, an Anthology of Kazakh prose and poetry, books about the history and culture of our country, translated into Spanish. Zhigalov also spoke about the works of the great scientist, poet, thinker Abai Qunanbaiuly, the celebration of poet’s 175th anniversary in Kazakhstan and abroad.
Thanking for the books, E. Serra noted that the first stone of the library building was laid back in 1401. At present its book collections number more than four million copies. At the same time, for the first time in history, the main library of Catalonia received books about Kazakhstan.
The Ambassador’s visit emphasized the prospects of diverse cooperation between Kazakhstan and the autonomous community of Catalonia, which plays an important role in the development of trade, economic and cultural ties between Kazakhstan and Spain.
Barcelona is widely known in the world for its achievements in digitalization and effective management. The city annually hosts well-known world-wide forums - Smart City Expo and Mobile World Congress. The annual contribution to the city’s economy from exhibition events is estimated at more than 2.6 billion euros.
