During the meeting, prospects for bilateral trade and economic cooperation, industrial cooperation, and cultural and humanitarian interaction were discussed.
Welcoming Alexander Turchin, the President of Kazakhstan emphasized that he views his first official visit to Astana as confirmation of the special nature of the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Belarus and his firm commitment to its further development.
"I consider this visit very important given the level of cooperation between our countries and, of course, the content of these ties. Trade between our countries is developing successfully, somewhere between $900 million and $1 billion. As far as I know, Kazakhstan is Belarus's second-largest trading partner. Overall, I would like to emphasize that we have great sympathy and respect for your country, your people, and your unique culture. Taking this opportunity, I would like to convey my greetings and best wishes to President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. We are committed to working together positively and achieving the desired results, as we are interested in continuing the successful development of our cooperation," the Head of State noted.
Alexander Turchin assured Kassym-Jomart Tokayev that he intends to continue to maintain a high pace of mutually beneficial dialogue and coordinate the practical implementation of the tasks set by the heads of state.
"I want to convey to you the warmest wishes from the President of our country, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. Just yesterday, we had a lengthy conversation, and I explained in detail what we were flying to Kazakhstan to bring. We in Belarus are closely monitoring Kazakhstan's development and are delighted by your successes. The country has demonstrated sustained economic growth for a long time, and we cannot help but rejoice in the achievements you have achieved to date. As you rightly noted, our mutual trade is growing today," the Prime Minister said.
In the first eight months of this year, mutual trade between Kazakhstan and Belarus increased by 20% compared to last year. Twelve industrial cooperation projects worth $204 million have been implemented to date. Three more projects are in development.
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
