President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani
The Amir of Qatar greeted the Kazakh Leader at the Amiri Diwan.
Before the talks began, the Head of the Honor Guard gave a report to the leaders of the two countries, and then the national anthems of Kazakhstan and Qatar were played.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani introduced the members of the official delegations to each other. After the ceremony, the President of Kazakhstan and the Amir of Qatar embarked on talks.
The Head of our state noted that he was very pleased to accept the invitation to visit Qatar. Noting that this is his first state visit to the country, he emphasized its special significance.
"Qatar is our reliable and important partner in the Islamic world. I think it is time to give a new impetus to our bilateral relations. In this regard, I propose to raise mutual relations between Kazakhstan and Qatar to the level of a full-fledged strategic partnership. I am confident that the agreements to be signed today during my visit will shape a strategic nature to our cooperation. We attach great importance to our relations as Qatar is a special country for us. We are ready to make every effort to further strengthen bilateral ties. I express my gratitude for your hospitality, " Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.
In turn, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani welcomed with great pleasure the visit of the Kazakh President.
"Your Excellency, Mr. President, I am very glad that you are making your first official visit to our country. I am confident that today's meeting will contribute to the further development of relations between two states. We also met in Astana. Today's talks will allow us to follow up on the implementation of the agreements reached at the previous negotiations and outline plans. Within the scope of our interaction, we are interested in the energy, trade, economic and investment projects. I hope that today`s meetings with representatives of major companies will promote partnership in these areas," the Amir said.
Recalling the Amir's state visit to Astana, the President emphasized the high level of Kazakh-Qatari relations, which have developed over the past 30 years. According to the Head of our state, two countries enjoy a close political dialog, growing economic partnership and fruitful cultural and humanitarian ties. The agreements signed in the last three years serve as a solid basis for expanding of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Qatar in various areas.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev firmly believes that in the near future Qatar will become one of the top ten largest investors in Kazakhstan. President expressed Kazakhstan's readiness to increase exports to Qatar on 60 non-commodity items with a total value of 250 million dollars. He also proposed to increase trade turnover to 500 million dollars in the near future.
The parties discussed issues relating to agriculture, transport and logistics, as well as tourism. In particular, the Kazakh leader called on Qatar to put joint efforts for development of intermodal transportation network to link the Gulf and Central Asia on order to foster regional economic activities.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev informed about Kazakhstan`s plans to increase the area of irrigated land up to 3 million hectares, as our country is currently among ten largest global producers of wheat and flour. He believes that there is a room for expanding cooperation in the agricultural sector.
A special attention has been paid to the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties. The Head of our state proposed to organize Culture Days of Kazakhstan and Qatar in the capitals of two countries in 2025. As he noted, these events will bring people closer and showcase diverse cultural heritage.
Furthermore, the two leaders discussed topical issues on the regional and international agenda.
After the talks between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the following documents were signed:
- Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State of Qatar on extradition;
- Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State of Qatar on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases;
- Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the State of Qatar on regulation of employment of Kazakhstani workers in the State of Qatar;
- Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the State of Qatar;
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Social Development and Family of the State of Qatar on cooperation in the field of social protection and development;
- The first executive youth program between the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Sports and Youth of the State of Qatar for 2024-2026;
- Memorandum of Understanding on promoting integrity and transparency between the Anti-corruption agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority of the State of Qatar;
- Agreements on implementation of projects in the field of energy and gas between Samruk-Kazyna JSC, the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Power International Holding;
- Agreements on joint implementation of projects for construction of gas processing plants on the Kashagan field between JSC NC QazaqGaz and UCC Holding.
Furthermore, a number of other documents were signed during the state visit of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Doha.