Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Roman Vasilenko, held meetings with the Ambassadors of Finland, Soile Mäkeläinen-Buchanist, Sweden, Eva Polano, and Latvia, Irina Mangule, as reported by “ZhambylNews” citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
During the discussions, the parties talked about further enhancing political dialogue and activating economic ties between Kazakhstan and its partners in Northern Europe and the Baltics.
During the meeting with the Finnish Ambassador, the Deputy Minister expressed commitment to maintaining active bilateral contacts with Finland at governmental, business, and expert levels. In this context, the parties highly appreciated the effectiveness of the Kazakh-Finnish Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, the next meeting of which is scheduled to be held in Astana on April 11 this year. (The co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Commission are the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, E. Nysanbayev, and the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, V. Tavio). The interlocutors also discussed the prospects for cooperation in the field of judiciary and customs authorities.
During the meeting with the Swedish Ambassador, diplomats expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamics of trade and investment cooperation. Special attention was paid to expanding the presence of Swedish businesses in Kazakhstan and attracting advanced technologies. The parties welcomed mutual visits and exchange of experience in the fields of medicine, science, and innovation. Prospects for expanding bilateral legal frameworks were also discussed.
During the meeting with the Latvian Ambassador, the parties summed up the main results of the development of bilateral cooperation in 2023, expressing satisfaction with the high pace of interaction. The interlocutors thoroughly discussed current issues of Kazakh-Latvian relations, paying special attention to building sustainable transport and logistics chains of interaction and increasing trade and investment partnership between the countries.
As the co-chair of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation with Latvia, R. Vasilenko confirmed the intention to contribute fully to further developing the positive dynamics of trade.
Overall, the Deputy Minister called for active participation of European countries in the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and expressed Kazakhstan’s interest in fruitful cooperation in promoting the issue of easing the visa regime of the European Union for citizens of Kazakhstan.
Following the negotiations, the parties agreed to continue joint efforts aimed at expanding mutually beneficial partnerships.
Reference: Finland is an important partner of Kazakhstan in the EU. Bilateral trade turnover in 2023 amounted to $208 million (exports – $3.06 million, imports – $205.1 million). The gross inflow of investments from Finland to Kazakhstan since 2005 amounted to $409.5 million.
Sweden is one of Kazakhstan’s major trade and investment partners in Europe. In 2023, the trade turnover between the countries amounted to $467 million (exports – $60 million, imports – $407 million). Since 2005, the gross inflow of direct investments from Sweden to Kazakhstan has exceeded $622 million.
Latvia is a significant partner of Kazakhstan in the Baltic region. In 2023, bilateral trade turnover increased by 76% and amounted to $336 million (exports – $279 million, imports – $77 million). In the first three quarters of 2023, the volume of investments attracted from Latvia to Kazakhstan amounted to $12.4 million.
