BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Kazakhstan aims
to integrate into global production chains, President Kassym-Jomart
Tokayev said in his Address to the People of Kazakhstan, according
to the presidential press service.
"Experts and specialists also point to the need to establish
national reserves of non-ferrous and rare earth metals. The
ultimate goal is to integrate our country into global production
chains. Our export policy should also be pursued in line with this
objective," Tokayev said.
He noted that Kazakhstan's mineral and raw material wealth was a
strategic advantage, adding that the country needed to
fundamentally change its approach to geological exploration.
"It is clear that searching for new deposits using methods
inherited from the past will not produce positive results. Today,
we must recognize geology as a high-tech industry," he said.
Tokayev stressed the importance of using advanced technologies
to comprehensively study Kazakhstan's subsoil, ensure the
transparency and accessibility of geological data, and actively
attract private investment in the search for and exploration of new
deposits.
He also noted the growing role of critical metals and called for
the establishment of a national system to manage their reserves
effectively, drawing on international experience.
The system should include mechanisms for long-term financing of
mining projects, while guaranteed demand should be secured through
offtake agreements with companies operating in this field in
Kazakhstan, he said.
"This is one of the important tasks facing the Government. This
issue needs to be discussed jointly with entrepreneurs, and
concrete proposals must be submitted to me by the end of the year,"
Tokayev said.
He called on the government to establish strategic partnerships
with developed countries in the sector and stressed that new
enterprises should not create unjustified obstacles for existing
local businesses.
Tokayev said each region and industry should be carefully
assessed when attracting investors, warning that poorly coordinated
decisions could lead to negative consequences.
He cited Qarmet, a major metallurgical company in Kazakhstan,
noting that plans to establish similar production facilities in
three other regions raised questions about market demand.
"Will these enterprises' products be in demand on the market? It
seems there is no clear answer to this question. Therefore, the
benefits of such uncoordinated decisions are questionable," he
said.
Tokayev stressed the need to strengthen interagency
coordination, warning that the economy could otherwise lose its
potential. He said each region should identify its priorities and
work accordingly.
He added that the government needed to significantly strengthen
its coordinating role, while regions should avoid becoming
dependent on a single industry or enterprise.
"It is important to develop each region's leading industry while
building a fully integrated system around it and within it. In
particular, we should develop education, applied science,
logistics, services, related industries and technological
entrepreneurship," Tokayev said.
