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Grodno Oblast, Kazakhstan seek closer ties
Photo of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee
GRODNO, 10 December (BelTA) - The development of trade and economic ties between Grodno Oblast and Kazakhstan was discussed during a meeting at the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee, BelTA has learned.
As Grodno Oblast Governor Yuri Karayev noted, Belarus and Kazakhstan are linked by long-standing partnership relations based on trust, mutual respect and many years of friendship. “Belarus and Kazakhstan cooperate productively both bilaterally and within the Eurasian Economic Union, the CIS, the CSTO, the SCO and other international platforms. We highly value Kazakhstan’s constructive contribution to strengthening regional stability, economic development and humanitarian cooperation,” Yuri Karayev said.
The parties currently have broad opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, the manufacturing industry, agriculture, transport, logistics, science, technology, culture and tourism.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Timur Zhaksylykov emphasized that the potential for cooperation is enormous. “There are already strong foundations in trade and economic cooperation. Yesterday we visited enterprises in Grodno Oblast, and business representatives told us that Kazakhstan is one of the major and important markets they work with. We hope Kazakh exports to Grodno Oblast will grow, because we also have much to offer. We produce high-quality food products such as baked goods, flour, sunflower oil, excellent mineral water, and chocolate. We hope residents of Grodno Oblast will see more Kazakh products on their shelves,” the diplomat stressed.
“We are open to Kazakhstan,” Yuri Karayev stated. He also remarked that interregional cooperation was discussed at the meeting. “Many agreements [at the interregional level] have been signed, but real progress in these ties is still limited. Grodno Oblast residents need to communicate directly with regions of Kazakhstan. This will allow us to quickly understand which of our products are needed in specific areas of Kazakhstan, and vice versa. We’ve agreed that next year we will work to develop direct communication between the governor and the akims of Kazakhstan’s regions,” Yuri Karayev said.
According to the ambassador, there is also significant potential for developing industrial cooperation. “Certainly, we see enormous opportunities in tourism, because Grodno is a tourist region with a rich history, beautiful architecture and nature. We can see this firsthand. I believe that with the expansion of air travel (we now have more direct flights between Minsk and cities in Kazakhstan) more Kazakh tourists will come here. And naturally, we are always happy to welcome tourists from Belarus and Grodno Oblast in particular in Kazakhstan. Our potential is also very large. Our nature is completely different from yours,” Ambassador Timur Zhaksylykov noted. “We have mountains, steppes, deserts, forests, various climate zones, a sea and vast lakes. I think all this will be very interesting for Belarusian tourists.”
As it was noted at the meeting, dialogue with the Embassy and Consulate General of Kazakhstan will help advance new projects, strengthen business ties and expand contacts between the two countries. “There is every reason to believe that this meeting will become an important step toward strengthening our partnership and will open up new prospects for mutual cooperation,” Yuri Karayev concluded.
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