NUR-SULTAN, October 17, 2019 – The 9th meeting of the Kazakh-Vietnamese Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation (IGC) was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Kazakh delegation was headed by Yermek Kosherbayev, chairman of the Kazakh part of the Commission, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, while the Vietnamese delegation was headed by Hoang Quoc Vuong, deputy minister of industry and trade of Vietnam.

The sides agreed that there is great potential in agriculture, including through interaction between research centers of the two countries to grow new varieties of rice. They noted a systematic implementation of the agreements of the previous Commission meeting, including the entry into force of agreements on extradition, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, as well as intensified inter-parliamentary cooperation.

The Commission has identified such priority areas as holding the 1st meeting of the Subcommittee on Agriculture in 2020, developing AIFC cooperation, concluding agreements on cooperation in veterinary medicine, container transportation, transfer of sentenced persons and mutual legal assistance and cooperation in customs matters, as well as on cooperation between agricultural universities of the two countries.

Kazakhstan and Vietnam, being parties to the Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement, agreed to intensify joint work to provide preferences for business communities of both countries to ensure greater export and import of goods between the two countries, as well as to create joint ventures in the light, food and processing industries, in particular, make efforts to set up modern manufacturing of clothing and shoes.

IGC co-chairs welcomed the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held on June 8-11, 2020 in Nur Sultan and the fact that Kazakhstan joined the list of countries whose citizens are granted an electronic visa by Vietnam. 

The sides mentioned opportunities for the development of tourism cooperation, the most important prerequisites for which would be further liberalization of visa scheme for citizens of the two countries, direct flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the development of relations and twinning of Nur Sultan and Hanoi, Almaty and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Vietnamese side was grateful for the assistance in the successful implementation of the investment project of the Vietnamese company Mareven in the Almaty region for food production ($50 million of investment, creation of 500 jobs).

Overall, the meeting agenda covered a broad range of issues aimed at further developing and expanding cooperation in the political, trade, economic and financial areas, education and science, agriculture, transport, culture, tourism and sports. 

The success of the Commission meeting, which is a key mechanism for bilateral cooperation, has given a significant impetus to the further strengthening of trade, economic and investment relations between the two countries.

The next meeting of the Commission will take place in Viet Nam.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/33815?lang=kk