Ambassador: Kazakhstan interested in adopting Belarus’ experience in many areas
Kazakhstan and Belarus are key strategic allies and partners with a multifaceted palette of bilateral co-operation that touches on various aspects – as stated by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus, Timur Zhaksylykov, when discussing the recent message of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the people of Kazakhstan
“Co-operation between our countries is developing dynamically and fruitfully across the entire spectrum of bilateral relations: political, economic, cultural, humanitarian and many others. We liaise effectively and fruitfully on the platforms of multilateral organisations: CIS, EAEU, CSTO, SCO (since recently), and many others,” the diplomat said.
During the round table organised by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Belarus, Mr. Zhaksylykov outlined the main thematic blocks related to the recent message of the President of Kazakhstan and determining the development of the country in the near future. In particular, he drew the attention of those present to the fact that, in the economic sphere, the Republic of Kazakhstan sets the task for itself to double GDP within a five-year period, and – to ensure such dynamics – it is planned to increase the volume of investments, change the structure of the economy towards greater manufacturability with an emphasis on the processing industry. Seventeen breakthrough strategic projects are also planned for implementation.
One of the most important tasks is related to the large-scale renovation of the country’s energy and transport infrastructure, and – as noted by the diplomat – Kazakhstan is very interested in the experience that Belarus has in the field of construction, launch and operation of a nuclear power plant. “We have yet to solve this issue. A national referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant is scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan on October 6th this year, and the experience of Belarus on this issue in very interesting to us in this regard,” he said.
Industrial liaisons are another promising area of bilateral co-operation. The diplomat, in particular, noted that eleven major projects in the field of industrial co-operation worth more than $200m with the creation of 1,500+ jobs are being implemented in Kazakhstan with the participation of Belarusian partners.
“Three more new projects are currently underway. Belarus is a developed industrial country, it is technologically advanced. Therefore, we are happy to participate in the implementation of such joint projects. We are interested and open to expanding the list of such priority projects, including not only in mechanical engineering, but also in the production of building materials, light industry and other sectors in which Belarusian partners have relevant competencies, experience and technological advantages,” Mr. Zhaksylykov added.
