Plans to Further Strengthen Kazakh-German Cooperation Discussed at MFA

Astana, February 21, 2024 – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko had a planned meeting with Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Monika Iwersen.

The meeting focused on the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in political and economic spheres as well as cultural and humanitarian ties. The parties also exchanged views on key issue on the global and regional agenda.

As the Deputy Minister noted, over the recent years Kazakhstan’s contacts with Germany have significantly intensified. The diplomats underscored the significance of the state visit of Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Sheinmeier to Astana and the official visit of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Berlin in 2023 that provided a qualitatively new content to the whole spectrum of Kazakh-German relations. Vassilenko confirmed the commitment to promote dialogue between Astana and Berlin at the highest and high levels further.

The parties welcomed the productive work of institutional mechanisms of bilateral cooperation, including the Inter-Governmental Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Inter-Governmental Commission on Ethnic Germans in Kazakhstan, regular political consultations between the two foreign ministries and others.

         Roman Vassilenko stressed Kazakhstan’s interest in broadening mutually beneficial engagement in industry and green energy, oil and gas, agriculture and environment spheres.

The diplomats also discussed the issue of increasing economic cooperation and investment partnership, noting positive trade dynamics. In 2023, the Kazakh-German mutual trade reached 3.9 billion US dollars (exports – 742.3 million, imports – 3.2 billion), registering an increase of 1.1 billion US dollars compared to 2022.

Germany remains an important investment partner for Kazakhstan. Since 2005, the volume of German investments in Kazakhstan’s economy amounted to around 5.8 billion US dollars. According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, there had been a 5.8 times increase in the volume of investments from Germany to Kazakhstan from 47.3 million US dollars in 2022 to 273.8 million US dollars in 2023.