Kazakhstan interested in expanding cooperation with Vietnam
Asset Issekeshev, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and New Technologies said in his speech at the forum that Kazakhstan has been actively implementing the state program of accelerated industrial innovative development, and in this regard, is interested in expanding cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, particularly Vietnam.
"We have signed six agreements. One of them is very important. This is the agreement establishing a business council, which will serve as the basis for intensifying business contacts," the Minister noted.
According to Issekeshev, Kazakhstan and Vietnam have common ground to boost cooperation. The Minister named several industries for potential contacts - oil and gas, mining and metallurgy, engineering, manufacturing, agro-industrial complex, transport.
In particular, one of the Kazakh companies is interested in development of titanium deposits in Vietnam.
He also noted that the manufacturing industry is a rapidly growing sector in Vietnam. We see that the Vietnamese textile companies annually export products to the amount of USD 12 billion. Kazakhstan is also going to develop this industry; we have a special economic zone. As part of the Customs Union, we are a very interesting market and would like to invite Vietnamese companies to implement joint projects.
Another important sphere of cooperation is tourism and transport logistics. Kazakhstan ranks among the world's top ten exporters of grain. We are interested in exporting our products to Vietnam and via Vietnam to the markets of Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the forum Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Vu Van Ninh and Chairman of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc called the business community of the two countries for more intense cooperation. Vietnam, in this regard, is pursuing an aggressive investment policy. 80 countries are implementing here 12 thousand projects worth USD 192 billion.
Chairman of Kazakh Commerce and Industry Chamber Kanat Tulemetov said the business forum would give a powerful impetus to the Kazakh-Vietnamese relations.
Vietnam can export to Kazakhstan agricultural products at competitive prices: coffee, tea, rice, cashew nuts, black pepper, and light industry products: textiles and footwear. Kazakhstan, in turn, offers the Vietnamese side mutually beneficial cooperation in the petrochemical industry, ferrous metallurgy, machine building and refining fertilizers. Kazakhstani companies are ready to export oil and gas equipment, fertilizers, cotton, grain, flour and pasta.
According to Nurlan Dutbayev, Chairman of the Representation of Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund in Beijing, Vietnam can be an important partner of Kazakhstan given the existing opportunities in trade and investment, joint projects. He invited Vietnamese companies to participate in such projects.
