Kazakhstan, UK confirm adherence to strategic partnership

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Beibut Atamkulov and Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Christopher Pincher had a telephone conversation on the initiative of the British side, the press service of the Kazakh MFA informed.

The KazakhMinister congratulated the British politician on his recent appointment andnoted Kazakhstan’s interest in further development of constructive relationswith the new leadership of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and theGovernment.

Having confirmed interestin further strengthening and expansion of the strategic partnership, the sides discussedthe plans of organization of high-level mutual visits and events in theoncoming period. In particular, meetings of the Strategic Dialogue at the levelof foreign ministers and the Intergovernmental Commission for Trade-Economic,Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation as well as Kazakhstan Global Investment Forum will beheld in London in October 2019.

The parties underlined theimportance of increasing economic component of the bilateral cooperation,effective use of transit and transport potential of Kazakhstan and theopportunities of the Astana International Financial Center for broadening thepartnership in financial and logistics spheres.

The sides pointed out the importanceof strengthening the cultural-humanitarian and educational cooperation.

The UK is among top 10 largesttrade partners of Kazakhstan. In 2018, mutual trade comprised USD 1.2bn. GreatBritain is also among 6 major investors of Kazakhstan. In 2015-2018 Kazakhstanattracted USD13bn of British investments. More than 800 Kazakh-Britishcompanies are operating in Kazakhstan to date.