Казахстан и ЕС: борьба с коронавирусом не должна препятствовать товарным потокам
Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Bakhyt Sultanov held a number of meetings in Brussels with representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, as well as representatives of large businesses. The Minister's working trip is taking place in preparation for the first official visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the European Union and the participation of the Head of State in the opening ceremony of the 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, which will be held at the end of November under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan.
Thus, Minister Sultanov met with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Trade and Economy Valdis Dombrovskis.
Issues of bilateral trade and economic relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union were raised at the meeting.
The EU is a key trade and investment partner, which accounts for about half of Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover and investments in our country's economy. At the same time, our country became the first state in Central Asia to sign the "second generation" document - the Agreement on Expanded Partnership and Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU (SRPS). The participants of the meeting expressed confidence that the integration processes within the framework of this program document will expand the range of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU.
One of the topics of the meeting was the simplification of procedures for obtaining permits from European countries for the export of Kazakh agricultural products.
Bakhyt Sultanov and Valdis Dombrovskis also discussed the preparations for the 12th Ministerial Conference.
Joint efforts are needed to reach consensus on the issues on the agenda of the Ministerial Conference. This will serve as a positive signal for restoring confidence in the WTO as a multilateral trading system. The decisions of the MK-12 will be crucial for putting the WTO on a positive trajectory," Bakhyt Sultanov said.
The Vice-President of the European Commission stressed the importance of deepening cooperation and the need to use a wider and more effective range of tools and consultations within the framework of the SRPS.
Valdis Dombrovskis noted Kazakhstan's leading role in the region, as well as the commitment of the European Union to finding optimal solutions and consensus within the framework of the upcoming WTO MC-12.
On the same day, the Minister of Trade and Integration met with the Chairman of the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament Bernd Lange and with MEP Ryszard Czarnecki.
During the meetings, ways and possibilities of expanding cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union were discussed.
Mr. Lange supported Kazakhstan's position on the need for cooperation of all countries to minimize losses from the covidocrisis. Representatives of the European Parliament noted that the fight against coronavirus should not hinder international commodity flows.
Chairman of the Friendship Group of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki, welcoming Minister Sultanov, stressed that the existing Kazakhstan-EU Friendship Group in the European Parliament contributes to strengthening dialogue and developing cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union.
During the trip, Minister Sultanov also held talks with the CEO of the Tessenderlo Group, Luke Such.
The possibility of implementing investment projects in Kazakhstan was discussed. Including on the territory of industrial trade and logistics hubs.
Tessenderlogroup is a large industrial group specializing in agriculture and increasing the value of biological residues. The group's activities include the production of nutrients and plant protection products, processing of animal by-products. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality gelatin and collagen peptides.
The company expressed interest in cooperation with the Kazakh side in this direction.
In addition, the meeting was also attended by Wim Sarep, Chairman of the Board of the Sarens Group, which is a world leader and benchmark in the field of crane rental services, lifting heavy loads and engineering transport. Sarens Group has 2 offices in Atyrau and Karaganda.