At the end of the tete-a-tete meeting, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Frank-Walter Steinmeier continued negotiations in an expanded format with the participation of members of official delegations.
Welcoming the German delegation headed by the President of Germany, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev noted that the state visit of Frank-Walter Steinmeier opens up good opportunities for further strengthening comprehensive cooperation between Kazakhstan and Germany.
“We were looking forward to your visit, which is very important in terms of giving an additional impetus to the development of cooperation between our countries. Germany is one of the key partners of Kazakhstan in the European Union. We will do our best to expand our cooperation in various fields. We just had a detailed, very frank exchange of views on many issues related to our cooperation, our interaction in international organizations, as well as the geopolitical situation,” the President of Kazakhstan said.
The key item on the agenda of the talks was the issue of expanding trade and economic cooperation. Germany is one of the most important trade, economic and investment partners of Kazakhstan in the European Union. More than 80% of Germany's foreign trade with the countries of Central Asia falls on our country.
Other priority areas of bilateral cooperation are energy, manufacturing, engineering, transport and logistics, renewable energy, rare earth metals, and agriculture. In this context, the leader of our country invited German companies to invest in green energy. In particular, the parties welcomed the launch of the construction of a green hydrogen plant, implemented by the German-Swedish company Svevind Energy. The volume of investments in this project is 50 billion dollars.
Along with this, the presidents discussed the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the mining and exploration industries. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that German entrepreneurs can count on the full support of the Government of the country.
The importance of holding a Kazakh-German business forum, in which the presidents of Kazakhstan and Germany will take part today, was also noted. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed confidence that this event would give an additional impetus to the expansion of economic ties between the two countries.
The President of Kazakhstan welcomed the visit of Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Aktau, where he plans to get acquainted with the huge economic potential of the Mangistau region.
“I also highly appreciate your decision regarding the trip to the Mangistau region. I believe that this will be a demonstration of our achievements in business cooperation. You are also going to visit the seaport,” the head of state said.
During the meeting, the parties paid much attention to building up cooperation within the framework of the Trans-Caspian international transport route.
The head of our state noted the growing role of Kazakhstan as an important regional hub, which accounts for 80% of transit overland traffic along the China-Europe route. The President emphasized the strategic importance of this transport and logistics corridor connecting the markets of East and West. Last year, about 1.7 million tons of cargo was transported along this route, which is twice the figure for 2021.
In addition, the heads of state considered the prospects for cooperation in agriculture and alternative energy sources within the framework of special economic zones and financial institutions.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed gratitude to the head of our state for the invitation to visit Astana and warm hospitality on Kazakh soil. He noted the productivity of the negotiations in a narrow format and the importance of implementing joint projects.
“I can confirm what you said about the state of our bilateral relations. We take into account not only the last 30 years of our diplomatic relations, but we take into account the existence of our dynamic cooperation in all areas, as you just mentioned. German companies are investing heavily in Kazakhstan, and this is not limited to economic relations. We really stand in solidarity with Mr. President and have great respect for the ongoing large-scale reforms in Kazakhstan. It is well known in Germany that you personally and your Government are working to combat corruption, as well as a moratorium on the death penalty, a Constitutional Court has been created, and Parliament has been strengthened. I think that all this is well known in the world and serves as proof that you are following the course,
In conclusion, the leader of Kazakhstan conveyed warm greetings and best wishes to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Recall that on June 19, 2023, at the invitation of the head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Kazakhstan on a state visit.
On June 20, the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Germany held tête-à-tête talks .
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
