Foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Belgium focus on political dialogue, trade and investment cooperation

BRUSSELS, 11 November 2019 – Kazakhstan and Belgium intend to strengthen all-round political cooperation with an emphasis on economic diplomacy and interaction in international forums. This was the main message of the Kazakh-Belgian political consultations.

The Kazakh delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko, while the Belgian delegation was headed by Director General for Bilateral Affairs of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs Anick Van Calster. 

The diplomats reviewed a broad array of political, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as international issues. 

In particular, while discussing ways of overcoming modern global challenges, Deputy Minister Vassilenko noted the initiative of the First President of Kazakhstan, Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, to establish  the Three Dialogues at the global level, at the level of Eurasia and at the level of international economic organizations.  

The Kazakh diplomat also discussed institutional reforms in Kazakhstan aimed at ensuring the rule of law, the key priorities and directions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's Address to the Nation, the Nurly Zhol program, ongoing socio-economic reforms, as well as reforms of the judicial system and law enforcement agencies. 

In turn, Director General Van Culster was pleased to note the favorable trend in the development of Kazakh-Belgian relations in all areas since her last visit to Nur-Sultan in July 2017.  Particularly, the talks between Elbasy and King Philippe of Belgium in October 2018 in Brussels gave a new impetus to the bilateral partnership. 

In the context of economic diplomacy, the sides confirmed the positive growth pattern and welcomed the successful cooperation in energy, industry, agriculture, medical waste treatment, etc. Kazakhstan has launched joint projects with  Belgian companies including John Cockerill, Carmeuse and Orfit. Belgium is already one of the major investors in the Kazakh economy, totaling more than $7 billion. Director General Van Calster emphasized the effectiveness of the biennial business mission of Belgian enterprises under the leadership of the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) and the Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) to Kazakhstan. Taking into account the successful experience of previous economic visits to Kazakhstan, the Belgian side is considering to conduct such missions every year. 

While discussing the investment climate in Kazakhstan, Deputy Minister Vassilenko spoke about the Coordinating Council chaired by the Prime Minister, the three-tier system to raise and support foreign investment, national company Kazakh Invest and efforts to further create a favorable investment climate marked by the improvement of the country's position in the relevant rankings of the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.
  The Kazakh delegation highlighted the prospects for developing business relations within the Astana International Financial Centre.

In addition, issues of interaction within the framework of international and regional organizations were considered to coordinate positions and solve urgent problems of our time. A. Van Culster emphasized the important role of Kazakhstan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2017-2018, and Kazakhstan’s  contribution to international security. On January 1, 2019, Belgium became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and is preparing for the presidency of the Security Council in February 2020.

In the framework of cooperation with the European Union, the parties noted the significance of the early entry into force of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the practical implementation of the new EU Strategy for Central Asia, adopted in June 2019.

During the meeting, a thorough exchange of views on cooperation in the reconstruction of Afghanistan took place. The Belgian side appreciated the efforts and contribution of Kazakhstan, including the provision of humanitarian, technical and educational assistance to the country. R. Vassilenko informed his colleagues about the initiatives of Kazakhstan to restore peace and security in Afghanistan, the launch of the EU Program for the Education of Afghan Girls in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the inauguration ceremony of which was held on the same day in Brussels.

Of particular interest to the Belgian side was the cooperation on international security issues. The Zhusan Operation to return Kazakh citizens from the war zone of Syria and Iraq was discussed in detail. The parties expressed their intention to exchange experience between the relevant services of Kazakhstan and Belgium.

Following the meeting, the parties confirmed their intention to make joint efforts for the further development and expansion of Kazakh-Belgian relations in all areas.

 

The Kingdom of Belgium is an important political and economic partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union.

The country is one of the world leaders in high technology, pharmaceuticals and green energy.

The foreign trade turnover of Kazakhstan with Belgium for the 7 months of 2019 amounted to $184.5 million (export - $106.7 million, import - $77.8 million). In 2018, the trade was $455 million, which is 58% more than in 2017 ($286.6 million), in 2016 - $300.2 million.

As of October 2019, 48 companies with Belgian capital are operating in Kazakhstan. The largest of them are Solvay Chemicals International SA. (chemical industry), Sarens Group (oil and gas infrastructure), Evolion (alternative energy sources) and Induss (water treatment).