Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan B. Sultanov paid a working visit to Switzerland
https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-bern/press/news/details/110870?lang=ru
On October 15-16th, 2020, during a working visit to Switzerland, the Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakyt Sultanov held talks with the State Secretariat for Economic affairs of Switzerland and Swiss business community.
On October 15thhe held a meeting with the Delegates of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements Erwin Bollinger and Markus Schlagenhof, the main topics of which were the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries and their interaction on multilateral platforms.
B.Sultanov and E.Bollinger, being co-chairmen of the Kazakh-Swiss Intergovernmental Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, discussed the progress of work on the implementation of the arrangements reached earlear and outlined further plans for their practical implementation. It was noted that the consequences of the pandemic were also reflected in trade and economic relations between Kazakhstan and Switzerland, causing a decline in business activity. At present, the efforts of both parties are aimed at the qualitative expansion of bilateral trade in non-primary goods and the development of joint projects.
During an active exchange of views on multilateral topics, the Swiss party highly appreciated the level of interaction with Kazakhstan within the framework of international organizations. In particular, with M.Schlagerhof, who is in charge of world trade issues, the Kazakh minister discussed the development trends of the WTO and the role of the organization as a global platform in modern conditions, complicated by the consequences of the pandemic and the growth of protectionist sentiments. Confirming Kazakhstan's readiness to hold the 12th Ministerial Conference of the WTO countries in 2021, B.Sultanov noted that Kazakhstan would be glad to receive the Swiss delegation headed by its Federal President in Nur-Sultan.
B.Sultanov proposed to the President of the Commission of international economic relations of the Swiss business federation “economiesuisse”Philip Mosimann, who also is chairman of the “Bucher Industries” holding, to develop business ties based on an expert analysis of priority sectors of the Kazakhstans economy. The Swiss industrialist supported the idea and confirmed his willingness to cooperate.
On October 16th, the Minister held negotiations with the leadership of the Swiss logistics holding “Militzer & Münch International”, whose key markets are the countries of Eurasia and the Middle East. The company realizes in practice the colossal potential of the transcontinental “Belt and Road Initiative”. Swiss business, seeing great prospects in this project, is showing considerable interest in participating in its implementation. In the view of their know-how and innovations, Swiss enterprises could play an important role in this, and Kazakhstan is ready to offer comprehensive support and optimal conditions in this regard.
At the end of the visit, B.Sultanov visited “Burckhardt Compression”, a world leader in the production of reciprocating compressors. Its CEO, Marcel Pawlicek, who is also the President of the Joint Chambers of Commerce Switzerland-CIS, noted the importance of the Kazakhstans market, especially in the context of Kazakhstan's participation in the EAEU. The parties also agreed to follow the conclusions of analysts and focus on the practical implementation of the potential of the priority sectors of the Kazakhstani economy.