Promising areas of Kazakh-Czech cooperation presented in Prague
PRAGUE. KAZINFORM – During the visit to Prague, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko held bilateral meetings with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the administration of the President of the Czech Republic, Kazinform learned from the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He met the State Secretary of the Czech Foreign Ministry, Miloslav Stašek. The parties agreed to deepen cooperation on a wide range of bilateral relations, expand trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties.
It was noted that despite the deterioration of the global economic situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, the trade turnover between the two countries has remained at a stable level: in 2021, the mutual trade between Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic amounted to $260.0 million, which was due to an increase in exports from Kazakhstan of 16.9%.
Today, the Kazakh economy is interested in innovative and new industries, nanotechnology, renewable energy and mechanical engineering from the Czech Republic, as well as cooperation in the agricultural sector, which accounts for a significant part of the commercial turnover of the two countries.
An additional boost to the development of cooperation, including trade and tourism, will be given by the opening of regular flights between Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic from June 12, 2022 (the Aktau-Prague flight will be operated by FlyArystan) .
In view of the upcoming Czech Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2022, Roman Vassilenko and Miloslav Stašek discussed promising areas of cooperation in the Kazakhstan-EU format. They paid particular attention to energy security, one of the most important priorities of the Czech mission at the head of the EU.
It was noted that the Czech Republic already covers a third of its oil needs with supplies from Kazakhstan, so the questions of ensuring the stability of these supplies in the future in the context of the complex geopolitical situation in Eurasia were discussed.
During his visit to Prague, Roman Vassilenko also met with the Director of the International Department of the Office of the President (Presidential Administration) of the Czech Republic Rudolf Jindrák. They discussed topical issues on the regional and international agenda.
The Deputy Minister informed the Czech interlocutors in detail about the large-scale political and socio-economic reforms underway in the country, proposed by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Czech diplomats noted the high level of bilateral relations achieved over the years of partnership, the gradual nature of their further development, and expressed support for the new course of political reforms in the country aimed at building a “New Kazakhstan”.
At the end of the visit, Roman Vassilenko gave an interview to the Czech Federal Television Channel – ČTV – and several other media. Czech journalists were very interested in questions concerning Kazakhstan’s attitude to the situation in Ukraine, its interaction with the Czech Republic and the EU, as well as the upcoming national referendum on June 5 on amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
