Exploring new venues for trade and investment cooperation with Canadian provinces

On December 2-3, 2019, Ambassador Akylbek Kamaldinov was on his first official visit to New Brunswick. During a courtesy call on The Honourable Brenda Murphy, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, he shared Kazakhstan's priorities in nation building and social development. The Ambassador stressed that cultural diversity, national unity and political stability are the country's major accomplishments that have been widely recognized and celebrated on December 1, the First President's Day.

While in Saint John, Ambassador Kamaldinov addressed a round table discussion with key regional stakeholders, including the City officials, Economic Development Greater Saint John, the Port, Saint John Refinery, Irving Oil Ltd., and the regional Chamber of Commerce. The Embassy's special presentation featured the key economic priorities set out in President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's Address to the Nation announced in September 2019.

The event was co-hosted by The Honourable Senator Joseph Day, Co-Chair of the Kazakhstan Canada Parliamentary Cooperation Group. He pointed out Kazakhstan's dynamic growth over the past decades and significant contribution to security and stability across Eurasia. Senator Day also joined Ambassador Kamaldinov during a tour of Canada's largest oil refinery and third largest port located in Saint John.

In Fredericton, New Brunswick' capital, Ambassador Kamaldinov met with the region's business and innovation leaders. At Opportunities NB, Ignite Fredericton, CyberNB and the Chamber of Commerce, he was briefed about the region's knowledge-based economy and world-class innovative cluster. The Ambassador highlighted Kazakhstan’s key economic priorities, such as digitization, smart city technologies and the Astana International IT & Startup Hub, and invited local businesses to attend the next Astana Economic Forum and Kazakhstan Canada Business Council meeting, both scheduled for June 2020 in Nur-Sultan.

Since August 2018, Ambassador Kamaldinov has visited 9 out of the 10 Canadian provinces, many of them multiple times. He plans a series of official and working visits to Canadian provinces and territories in the coming months.