Kazakhstan keen to enhance economic ties with Qatar, says FM

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi affirmed his country's desire to form solid foundations for strengthening economic cooperation with Qatar.This came during his meeting with HE the Chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani, on the sidelines of his participation in the Doha Forum 2022.Tleuberdi said that there are currently consultations with Qatari authorities on a number of strategic sectors and projects, especially in the field of energy. There are joint governmental committees and meetings at the level of economic ministers, affirming that his country has begun to undergo structural changes since 2016 at the level of economic openness and legislation, as investment promotion has become a mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his country is ready to overcome all obstacles in the way of Qatari and foreign investors.He revealed that Kazakhstan is currently working on fighting monopoly, combating corruption, and changing laws and legislation, as it now began to open the oil and mining fields to foreign investment, in addition to the privatization of a number of sectors.He also invited Qatari businessmen to visit his country and discuss investment opportunities there, affirming the pointed out that the projects were classified, as each project exceeding USD 50 million is carried out with the state and the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.For his part, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani said that he had previously visited Kazakhstan and discussed investment opportunities in banks and mines, praising the great potential of Kazakhstan, which has a border with China of 7000 km and is a big market.HE Sheikh Faisal affirmed that the association is ready to market Kazakhstan in Qatar and the Arab market, stressing the same time the need to develop economic relations to rise to the level of political relations between the two countries.