A Solemn Reception on the Occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan was Held in Bern

On December 12, 2019, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Switzerland held a solemn reception on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

For Kazakhstan, Switzerland is an important partner in Europe and is among the top investor countries in the Kazakh economy.

About 40 large Swiss companies are already successfully operating in Kazakhstan in non-resource sectors (ABB, Leica Geosystems, Roche, etc.), and a number of other sharks of the Swiss business are seriously considering the possibility of entering the Kazakh market.

Welcoming the guests, the Ambassador Bakayev noted the similarity of Kazakhstan and Switzerland, which was received with interest by the invited audience.

Switzerland is a neutral country, and Kazakhstan is a tolerant country with a multi-vector policy.

Nur-Sultan and Bern have similar positions on major international and regional issues, and also act as important international platforms that facilitate dialogue on the settlement the Syrian conflict in the framework of the Astana and Geneva processes.

The countries are actively cooperating on an inter-parliamentary track, joint projects in Central Asia on water diplomacy and humanitarian stabilisation of the situation in Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan and Switzerland are both landlocked countries, therefore, they jointly welcome the development of transcontinental routes, including the Belt and Road Initiative.

The natural landscapes of Kazakhstan and Switzerland are very similar. Great potential lies in the development of cooperation in the field of tourism. Some joint projects are already at the implementation stage together with Swiss Tourism and Kazakh Tourism companies.

2019 was filled with important political and economic events in bilateral relations. As the Ambassador noted: “We held several business events in both Switzerland and Kazakhstan. In October, the 10th meeting of the Kazakh-Swiss Trade and Economic Commission was held in Bern. A significant impetus to the development of bilateral relations was given by the official visit of the President of Switzerland, Ueli Maurer, to Nur-Sultan in November this year, during which an Investment Round Table was held and important agreements and MoU were signed, including with the Astana Financial Centre (AIFC).

At the reception in honor of Independence Day a Kazakh duet – Sandy Tokanova (cello) and Irina Gribaus (piano), living in Switzerland and performing Kazakh folk melodies in a modern twist, performed their musical compositions. Artists for the first time presented to the public a debut video from Kazakh national works Birzhan sal, Yapurai, Karatorgai, Dudarai and Nas Kogyr.

The discerning Swiss public also praised the quality of Kazakh chocolate “Rakhat” and honey from the East of Kazakhstan.