During the talks, held with the participation of members of the official delegations, the parties discussed prospects for expanding political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

The Head of State noted that Kazakhstan values its long-standing friendly relations with Georgia, a time-tested and reliable partner in the South Caucasus.

“Our countries are united by deep historical roots, shared cultural values and strong ties between our peoples, which serve as the foundation of our close partnership. We have just had a fruitful exchange of views, during which we once again reaffirmed our common commitment to developing bilateral cooperation,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.

The President expressed confidence that the Joint Statement on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership, signed today, would elevate Kazakh-Georgian relations to a qualitatively new level.

“Trade and investment cooperation remains the foundation of Kazakh-Georgian relations. Despite global instability, bilateral trade has the potential for further growth. Kazakhstan has invested more than half a billion US dollars in Georgia’s economy and remains among the country’s largest investors. Our states maintain successful cooperation in the energy sector. We intend to increase oil transportation volumes through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Active work is being carried out within the framework of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. I hope that today’s meeting will help identify new priorities for the future,” the Head of State said.

For his part, the Prime Minister of Georgia particularly noted the leadership of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, under whose guidance Kazakhstan has achieved significant progress.

“Kazakhstan is our reliable partner in the Central Asian region. Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate you on the adoption of the new Constitution, which highlights your strong leadership and Kazakhstan’s sustainable development. Bringing our bilateral partnership to a new strategic level opens up new opportunities for cooperation between our governments and peoples. I would like to thank you for adopting the Joint Statement on Strategic Partnership. We also highly value our close cooperation with Kazakhstan at various levels, whether through political dialogue or exchanges at the institutional and governmental levels. All of this contributes to the advancement of our relations,” Irakli Kobakhidze said.

The President of Kazakhstan proposed giving the further development of the strategic partnership a clear structure and developing a roadmap focused on energy, investment, transport connectivity, agriculture, digitalization, tourism and other promising areas.

The parties reaffirmed their mutual interest in the further implementation of mutually beneficial investment projects.

In particular, as key participants in the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the countries intend to take consistent measures to develop transport and logistics infrastructure, expand container transportation, coordinate tariff policy, and accelerate digitalization.

Over the past five years, the volume of transit traffic along the TITR has increased 3.5 times. By 2029, the number of container trains operating along the route is expected to reach 3,000.

In addition to the port of Batumi, Kazakhstan is interested in expanding its presence in other port zones of Georgia. In particular, last year, a new multimodal terminal was opened in Poti with the participation of Kazakh investors. The Anaklia port is also considered another promising project for strengthening interregional connectivity.

Digitalization and artificial intelligence were identified as among the promising areas of cooperation. During the talks, the parties confirmed their readiness to exchange experience in digital government, online public services and GovTech solutions.

Kazakhstan welcomes the participation of Georgian startups and technology companies in Astana Hub programs and regional technology initiatives.

In addition, the participants of the meeting paid special attention to strengthening partnership in healthcare, education, culture and tourism.

The President noted that Georgia is considered one of the popular destinations for Kazakh tourists, while Kazakhstan would also welcome an increase in the number of Georgian visitors.

The Head of State pointed to the importance of maintaining cultural exchanges and proposed organizing reciprocal Days of Culture of the two countries.

Following the talks, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Irakli Kobakhidze adopted the Joint Statement on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Georgia.

In addition, members of the delegations of the two countries exchanged the following interstate and interdepartmental documents:

1. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture of Georgia on cooperation in the field of culture;

2. Memorandum on Mutual Cooperation between the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia;

3. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia on cooperation in the field of tourism.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-tbilisi/press/news/details/1251595?lang=ru