President: Kazakhstan ready to increase exports to Armenia up to $350 million
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed their strong commitment to enhancing multifaceted ties at an April 15 meeting in Yerevan, The Astana Times reported, citing the Akorda press service.
The president stressed the significance he places on this official visit, considering it as an important stage in the development of bilateral relations. He highlighted the substantial potential both countries have for increasing cooperation across various spheres.
Pashinyan noted the dynamic development of mutual ties and expressed his readiness to collaborate to bring Armenian-Kazakh relations to a new level.
They discussed matters of trade and economic, transit and transport, investment, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation, placing particular emphasis on regional stability and security issues.
Following their one-on-one meeting, Tokayev and Pashinyan continued negotiations with their delegations, during which they signed 10 documents, including a trade and economic cooperation roadmap for 2024-2025, migration, aviation industry, tourism, culture and sports as well as information and communication technologies.
The two capitals, Astana and Yerevan, established sister city relations following the relevant memorandum signed by Tokayev and Pashinyan. Kazakhstan’s Shymkent and Armenia’s Vanadzor also became sister cities.
“We fully support the initiative to elevate Kazakh-Armenian interaction to a new level. We hold great respect for the centuries-old history, ancient culture, and traditions of the Armenian people,” said Tokayev.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the most promising directions for the development of bilateral relations. The priority task is to enhance trade, taking advantage of significant potential in the food sector, investment, transport and logistics, as well as the IT industry and construction.
“Kazakhstan is ready to increase exports to Armenia to up to $350 million,” Tokayev said.
Pashinyan noted that Tokayev’s visit is “of great significance.”
“I can say that during our interactions, we have already managed to cover a broad range of issues. This includes deepening economic and political cooperation and expanding regional interactions,” said the head of the Armenian government.
“I want to emphasize that we are also not forgetting the cultural-humanitarian sphere. This year, the Days of Armenian Culture will be held in Kazakhstan, and next year, the Days of Kazakh Culture will be conducted in Armenia. Overall, our agenda is quite rich and intense. I am confident that as a result of your visit, we will make decisions that will benefit the expansion and deepening of all aspects of our cooperation,” he added.