Nur-Sultan and Berlin Hold 12th Meeting of Kazakh-German Business Council for Strategic Cooperation
BERLIN, NUR-SULTAN, 13 October 2020 – The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Germany Dauren Karipov has taken part in the 12th regular meeting of the Kazakh-German Business Council (KGBC) for Strategic Cooperation, hosted by Atameken National Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of International Commerce Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry, Embassy in Germany, “Kazakh Invest” and the German Eastern Business Association.
The key topic of the event, which was held in a hybrid format, was the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and Germany, creation of new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries’ businesses communities after the pandemic, implementation of bilateral projects within the framework of EU strategies on transition to green and digital economy.
Keynote speakers at the event included the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and Co-Chair of the KGBC, Roman Sklyar, International Projects Director of Deutsche Bahn and Chairman of the Board of Directors of DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH, Niko Warbanoff.
Moreover, statements were delivered by the Chairman of the Board of Baiterek, Aidar Arifkhanov, the Chairman of the Board of Atameken National Chamber of Commerce, Ablay Myrzakhmetov, GEBA Executive Director, Michael Harms, as well as the Managing Director of Herrenknecht AG, Martin Herrenknecht. The heads of Germany’s largest companies spoke during the discussion segment of the meeting, among them the Managing Shareholder of Knauf Group, Manfred Grundke, and the Senior Vice-President of Siemens Energy AG for regional development, Willi Meixner, Director General of John Deere, Dirk Strattman, the Regional Director of CLAAS Global Sales GmbH, Nils Roitsch, and SAP Managing Director for CIS countries, Andrei Filatov.
In their speeches the event participants noted the primary importance of enhancing the mutually beneficial Kazakh-German trade and economic relations, support of German investments and transfer of state-of-the-art technologies from Germany, as well as development of the system of professional training for various sectors of the economy of Kazakhstan. Special attention was paid to the implementation of agreements reached during the visits of Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Germany in December 2019 and February 2020, including the creation of a special government working group headed Deputy Prime Minister Sklyar to coordinate activities with German investors.
For reference: The Business Council is a coordinating and consultative body for the development of business relations between organizations and associations in Kazakhstan and Germany. The objectives of the Council include enhancing cooperation between Kazakh and German companies in the field of trade and investment, encouraging direct business contacts and direct exchange of information between companies and business associations of both countries. The Co-Chairs of the Kazakh-German Business Council (KGBC) are the Chairman of the Presidium of Atameken National Chamber of Commerce, Timur Kulibayev, and Deutsche Bahn AG Head of International Business, Chair of DB Engineering and CEO of DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH, Niko Warbanoff.