Kazakh-German cooperation strengthening plans discussed at Kazakh Foreign Ministry
On February 21, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko had a planned meeting with Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Monika Iwersen, reported the press service of the Kazakh MFA.
The meeting focused on the state and prospects of the bilateral cooperation in political and economic spheres as well as cultural and humanitarian ties. The parties also exchanged views on key issues of the global and regional agenda.
Roman Vassilenko pointed out significant intensification of the Kazakh-German contacts over the recent years. The diplomats highlighted the importance of the state visit of Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Sheinmeier to Astana and the official visit of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Berlin in 2023 that provided a brand new content to the entire range of the Kazakh-German relations. Vassilenko confirmed the commitment to promote the dialogue between Astana and Berlin at the highest and high levels.
The parties welcomed productive activity of such institutional mechanisms of the bilateral cooperation, including the Inter-Governmental Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Inter-Governmental Commission on Ethnic Germans in Kazakhstan, the regular political consultations between the two foreign ministries and others.
Roman Vassilenko stressed Kazakhstan’s interest in broadening mutually beneficial engagement in industry and green energy, oil and gas, agriculture and ecology.
The diplomats also discussed the issue of increasing economic cooperation and investment partnership, having noted positive trade dynamics. In 2023, the Kazakh-German mutual trade reached $3.9 billion (exports – 742.3 million, imports – 3.2 billion), registering an increase of $1.1 billion compared to 2022.
Germany remains an important investment partner for Kazakhstan. Since 2005, the volume of German investments in Kazakhstan’s economy amounted to around $5.8 billion. According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, there had been a 5.8 times increase in the volume of investments from Germany to Kazakhstan from $47.3 million in 2022 to $273.8 million in 2023.
