Issues of cooperation in the field of culture and economy were discussed in Buenos Aires

Issues of cooperation in the field of culture and economy were discussed in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, August 21, 2023 – On the first day of his working visit to Argentina, Kairat Umarov, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, held a number of bilateral meetings.

During the conversation with the Director of the Kazakh Cultural Center in Rosario – the Ambassador of Friendship of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan Irina Wagner and the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Rosario Gustavo Gutiérrez, issues of expanding cultural, humanitarian, trade and economic cooperation with Argentina, in particular the Argentine region Rosario, were discussed.

In turn, Kairat Umarov told the interlocutors about the reforms being carried out in Kazakhstan aimed at rebooting the country's political system and improving the welfare of its citizens, and also acquainted the guests with the results of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and the XXXII session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, held in April this years in Astana under the motto «Fair Kazakhstan: unity, stability, development». In this context, the Kazakh diplomat expressed his gratitude to Irina Wagner for her active participation in the work of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan as the Ambassador of Friendship of the APK.

With regard to the activities of the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Rosario, the importance of increasing trade, economic and investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and potential business circles of the Argentine region, as well as establishing academic and scientific exchange between the universities of the two countries, was emphasized. The Argentine side, in continuation of the conversation, introduced the current priorities and plans for the future, expressing gratitude for the support and close cooperation with the Embassy of Kazakhstan in their implementation.

In general, highly appreciating the activities of Irina Wagner and Gustavo Gutiérrez in promoting the image of Kazakhstan in Argentina, popularizing the history and culture of our country, Kairat Umarov wished his Argentine friends further success in their work to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

For reference: The Kazakh cultural center in Rosario is currently the only such organization in South America. The Center regularly conducts country presentations of Kazakhstan and teaching the Kazakh language, as well as the annual raising of the state flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the central square of Rosario. Thanks to the efforts of the Center and the Honorary Consulate, «Abai Kunanbayuly» Street and the «Republic of Kazakhstan Square» were opened in 2021. In August 2022, in Buenos Aires, Irina Wagner was awarded the public award of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan – the gold medal «Birlik».

At the end of the meeting, for the contribution to the development and strengthening of Kazakh-Argentine relations, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan Gustavo Gutiérrez was awarded the medal «30th anniversary of the diplomatic service of the Republic of Kazakhstan».

During the meeting with a well-known economist, former Secretary of State for Foreign Trade of Brazil and director of the international company «BMJ» Welber Barral, an exchange of views took place on a wide range of issues of the world economy, integration processes in South America and the expansion of trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Latin American region.

For reference: «BMJ» is one of the leading consulting companies in the field of foreign trade in Latin America and the Middle East. Currently, it is actively involved in regional economic projects within the MERCOSUR member countries.

The Kazakh diplomat, in turn, familiarized the interlocutor with the priorities of Kazakhstan's cooperation with leading international organizations and financial institutions, and also spoke about state support measures for foreign investment attracted to the economy of Kazakhstan and plans to expand our country's participation in international trade.

For its part, the Brazilian side shared its vision and forecasts for the development of the economic situation in South America, as well as within the framework of the multilateral associations of MERCOSUR, UNASUR and CELAC. A separate aspect of mutual interest was the discussion of the expansion of the BRICS and interaction with the institutions of this association. The parties stated that there is great potential for expanding trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the countries of the region both on a bilateral basis and in a multilateral format.

At the end of the meeting, Kairat Umarov thanked his interlocutor for his active participation and contribution to the process of expanding bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Brazil as part of the Board of Trustees of the Kazakhstan-Brazil Friendship Forum and as part of the work of the Kazakh-Brazilian Business Council.

Argentina is the first visiting country within the framework of the visit of the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kairat Umarov to the countries of South America for political consultations. This year, Kazakhstan celebrates the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Argentina, Brazil and Chile.