7th session of Kazakh-UK Strategic Dialogue focuses on advancing partnership to a new level
Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom are deepening mutually beneficial cooperation. Key priorities of this joint work have been reviewed at the 7th Session of the Kazakh-UK Strategic Dialogue led by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko and Parliamentary Secretary of State for Europe at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Leo Docherty MP, Kazinform learned from the MFA press office.
The parties discussed the key issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the major multilateral and regional agenda.
“Kazakhstan is committed to further strengthening multifaceted strategic partnership with the United Kingdom and welcomes active political contacts, positive dynamics in trade and investments and the broadening of the legal framework of cooperation,” stated Vassilenko.
“The UK highly appreciates its partnership with Kazakhstan, including within the context of regional engagement and energy cooperation with Europe,” said Docherty.
Roman Vassilenko noted advanced preparations for signing the bilateral Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement that is expected to move mutually beneficial intergovernmental partnership to a qualitatively new level. He also confirmed the readiness to continue promoting comprehensive dialogue between the two countries’ foreign ministries.
The session of the Strategic Dialogue focused on key areas of collaboration, including transport and logistics, critical minerals and renewable energy, environment and healthcare.
Considering ample opportunities for productive partnership in the sphere of education, Deputy Minister Vassilenko called for advancing cooperation on the issues of opening branches of UK universities in Kazakhstan and simplifying arrangements for increasing people-to-people ties. The parties also discussed exchanging information and researching British archival data on Kazakhstan and the region of Central Asia.
The Strategic Dialogue is a key mechanism of engagement between Kazakhstan and the UK. The previous session of the dialogue was held in London in December 2022 between two countries’ Foreign Ministers.
The United Kingdom is a key political, trade and economic and investment partner of Kazakhstan. 2022 marked the 30th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Last year, the volume of Kazakh-British bilateral trade increased by more than 60% compared to 2021 and reached 1.8 billion US dollars (export – 1.5 billion; import – 384.3 million). During January-August this year bilateral trade grew to 879 million (export – 559 million; import – 320 million).
The United Kingdom is among the top 10 largest foreign investors in Kazakhstan. Last year, Kazakhstan’s economy attracted 661 million in FDI from the UK and over 16 billion in total since 2005. There are also around 600 companies with British capital registered in Kazakhstan.
