Kazakh-German cooperation in the field of the green economy discussed at the meeting of Berlin Eurasian Club
Berlin, December 10, 2020 – During his second day in Berlin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Margulan Baymukhan held several working meetings with German partners.
In particular, he compared notes on topical issues of interregional cooperation and security with the State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Miguel Berger. Deputy Minister also met with the management of several German companies interested in investment cooperation with Kazakhstan.
On the same day, Margulan Baimukhan participated in the 30th anniversary meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club, which is an important Kazakh-German dialogue platform on trade, economic and investment cooperation. The participants of the meeting discussed the implementation of the European Green Deal and the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Kazakhstan, bilateral cooperation in the field of green energy and the use of renewable energy sources, as well as the supply of crucial commodities necessary for the implementation of EU plans for the transition to a green and digital economy.
The event was organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Germany and KAZAKH INVEST, together with the German Eastern Business Association (OAOEV). Taking into account the current epidemiological situation, the event was held in a semi-digital format, which allowed participants to join the discussion online.
The meeting of the Club was opened by Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Margulan Baymukhan, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Miguel Berger and Chairman of the Board of the OAOEV Oliver Hermes. The keynote speeches were delivered by Deputy Minister of Geology, Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan Serikkali Brekeshev, Executive Director of the Republican Association of Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises Nikolay Radostovets, Head of the German Mineral Resources Agency DERA Peter Buchholz, Head of the German Energy Agency (dena) Andreas Kuhlmann, Chairman of the Board of the Green Technologies and Investment Projects Center Zhanna Kazzhanova and Managing Director of REDPATH DEILMANN GmbH Johan Greinacher.
The discussion was also attended by representatives of the government and business community of the two countries, industry business associations, including Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Germany Dauren Karipov, the management of Volkswagen, BMW, SAP, Knorr-Bremse, Deutsche Bahn, Weidmüller Holding, Henkel, Linde, Hermann Paus Maschinenfabrik GmbH, DMT GmbH and others.
In his opening speech, Roman Sklyar stressed that the green economy is one of the priority areas of Kazakhstan's development. He emphasized the prospects for the energy-efficient digitalization of industry, the role of energy efficiency in low-carbon development and environmental protection, and briefed on reforms in the field of geology and subsoil management.
In turn, Miguel Berger spoke about the implementation of the tasks Germany set for the six-month rotating presidency in the EU Council, which passed to Germany on July 1, 2020. Besides the combat against the coronavirus pandemic, the European Green Deal has become one of the most important projects, which aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Margulan Baymukhan also stressed the commitment of our country to global efforts aimed at protecting the climate and noted the important role of green technologies as a potential catalyst for economic growth and social well-being both in Kazakhstan and in other countries, which are striving to meet the green criteria.
A productive exchange of views on expanding cooperation in the field of green energy took place during the panel discussion. The participants also discussed joint steps to enhance cooperation within the framework of the Intergovernmental Agreement "On Partnership in Raw Materials, Industrial and Technological Spheres between Kazakhstan and Germany", signed on February 8, 2012. Besides, the participants of the BEC meeting agreed to continue coordinating actions to minimize the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic relations between Kazakhstan and Germany.
The Berlin Eurasian Club was established in 2012 on the initiative of the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and former Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Hans-Dietrich Genscher. As an informal dialogue platform, the Club is open for participation by politicians, international experts, representatives of scientific, public and business circles of Kazakhstan, Germany and other European countries. In December 2019, Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the participants of the 28th meeting of the BEC in Berlin, emphasizing the importance of the BEC as a well-established platform for discussing a wide range of socio-political, trade and economic issues of bilateral cooperation.
The previous 29th BEC meeting on cooperation in the agro-industrial sphere was held in an online format on the 24th of June, 2020, under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar, who headed the Government Working Group on interaction with German investors on the instructions of the Head of State.