BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 12. Belgium is one of
Kazakhstan's leading trade partners and ranks among the ten largest
investors in its economy, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
said during an expanded-format meeting with Belgian King Philippe
and Queen Mathilde in Astana, according to the presidential press
service.
"Belgium is one of Kazakhstan's leading trade partners. Your
country is also among the ten largest investors in our economy. I
regard this as convincing evidence of confidence in Kazakhstan's
economic future," Tokayev said.
He welcomed the first-ever state visit by the Belgian royal
couple to Kazakhstan and Central Asia, describing it as a historic
event and highlighting the longstanding friendship between the two
countries.
Next year will mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations
between Kazakhstan and Belgium. Tokayev said the visit would give
fresh impetus to preparations for the anniversary and create
opportunities to achieve concrete results in bilateral
cooperation.
The president identified transport and logistics, critical
minerals, renewable energy, agriculture, healthcare and artificial
intelligence as areas with significant potential for expanded
cooperation.
"I look forward to tomorrow's fourth meeting of the
Kazakh-Belgian Business Council. It is encouraging to see this
initiative becoming an effective platform for realizing promising
opportunities and achieving sustainable practical results," Tokayev
said.
He also highlighted cooperation with Belgium within the European
Union and at multilateral forums, stressing the importance of
partnerships based on trust, respect and mutual understanding amid
growing global uncertainty.
"I am convinced that the most significant achievements in our
relations are still ahead. For my part, I will make every effort to
ensure the full implementation of the agreements reached during
this visit," Tokayev said.
King Philippe thanked Tokayev for the warm welcome and recalled
his previous visits to Kazakhstan as Crown Prince.
"We are all very impressed by the development of the country
under your leadership. The areas we are going to explore during our
stay are very important for our countries - artificial
intelligence, energy and nuclear energy," the king said.
He also noted that the Belgian delegation included university
rectors and company representatives and said they would attend a
roundtable discussion involving scientists.
Members of the official delegations from both countries also
addressed the talks. The sides expressed satisfaction with the
broad range of initiatives presented and reaffirmed their mutual
commitment to further developing practical cooperation.
