The second round of political consultations between the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Qatar was held in Doha

Doha, December 20, 2023 – The 2nd round of Kazakh-Qatari political consultations was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, co-chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Ahmed Hassen Al-Hammadi.

The heads of delegations noted the progressive development of Kazakh-Qatari cooperation, which is confirmed by active contacts between the leaders of Kazakhstan and Qatar. This year, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met three times, which demonstrates a mutual desire to promote a high level of interaction.

During political consultations, the parties reviewed the progress of implementation of agreements reached following the mutual visits of the heads of the two states, including on the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation.

Active contacts between the governments of the two countries were noted, as well as the successful activities of the Kazakh-Qatari intergovernmental commission, which contributes to building up and strengthening mutually beneficial partnerships in different sectors of the economy. In this regard, the results of the 6th meeting of the intergovernmental commission, held in Doha in October of this year, were considered.

In this context, the parties expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamics of bilateral trade turnover, the volume of which, based on the results of 10 months of the current year, amounted to $9.3 million, which is 2.8 times higher than for the same period of the previous year.

Also, participants in the political consultations drew attention to the significant potential for increasing Kazakh exports to Qatar for more than 60 product items worth about $250 million.

The progress in the implementation of promising investment projects, including in the field of development, agriculture and energy, was considered as a priority area of bilateral partnership. The Kazakh side noted the consistent increase in the volume of foreign direct investment from Qatar into the Kazakh economy. At the end of 2022, the volume of Qatari investments in our economy increased 3 times.

Taking into account the active interest on the part of business circles of both countries in expanding their activities, the interlocutors agreed to provide full assistance to companies in establishing and developing mutually beneficial partnerships.

Considering the international agenda, the parties exchanged views on the most pressing issues in the field of sustainable development and strengthening stability. The closeness of the positions of the two states was noted, including the need to strengthen the role of diplomacy and mediation in conflict resolution.

In this regard, the fruitful cooperation of the two countries within the framework of multilateral structures such as the UN, CICA, IOFS, OIC and the dialogue platform “Central Asia-Gulf Cooperation Council” was noted.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to maintain a close dialogue between the foreign ministries and emphasized the need for regular bilateral consultations.