The seventh meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State of Qatar was held in Astana. The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Arman Kasenov and Minister of State for International Trade of Qatar Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state of bilateral cooperation and expressed gratitude for the effective work of the Committee as a sustainable dialogue platform. The need to intensify joint efforts to realize the common potential of the two countries, strengthen trade and economic ties and develop partnerships between business circles was emphasized.

Particular attention at the meeting was paid to transport and logistics. Kazakhstan considers the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route as a strategic direction and plans to increase the volume of container traffic to 500 thousand per year by 2030. In parallel, measures are being implemented to expand the international corridor "North - South", which opens up new logistics opportunities. In this context, the participants noted the importance of joint development of the Middle Corridor, including the modernization of port infrastructure on the Caspian Sea and the construction of cargo terminals. The Kazakh side invited Qatari investors to consider the possibility of participating in these projects.

Kazakh-Qatari investment cooperation is reaching a new level. Let us recall that last year, at the initiative of the leaders of the two states, an Intergovernmental Agreement on Long-Term Strategic Partnership was signed. The document provides for the implementation of investment projects in non-resource sectors for a total of about $20 billion - in the fields of energy, telecommunications and finance.

Significant progress has already been noted in this direction this year: the volume of direct investment from Qatar to Kazakhstan in 2024 increased 18 times compared to 2023 - from $8.9 million to $156.4 million. The Kazakh side once again confirmed its readiness to provide comprehensive support to Qatari investors in the implementation of projects.

A separate area of ​​​​discussion was the development of the agro-industrial complex. Kazakhstan already exports agricultural products to more than 80 countries and aims to further increase its export potential. Thus, in 2024 alone, lamb and goat meat worth more than $750 thousand was exported to Qatar.

The parties agreed to intensify the exchange of information on veterinary and sanitary requirements, as well as expand cooperation in the supply of halal and organic products. The parties also expressed interest in developing cooperation between the free economic zones of the two countries and called on relevant departments, as well as business circles of Kazakhstan and Qatar, to take the opportunity to visit these sites to exchange experiences and identify potential areas of cooperation.

Following the meeting, the protocol of the seventh meeting of the Kazakh-Qatari joint committee was signed. The next, eighth meeting of the Joint Committee will be held in Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-doha/press/news/details/1030977?lang=kk