The Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar, Arman Issagaliyev met with the Group Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, El.kz cites MFA.
The Kazakh diplomat noted with satisfaction the strengthening political, trade and economic ties between the two countries, as well as the expanding flow of tourists in both directions.
For his part, the CEO of Qatar Airways said that this month the Qatari air carrier increased the number of direct flights on the Almaty-Doha route to 14 flights per week and shared plans to open direct flights on the Astana-Doha route in 2024.
Special attention was paid to the increase in the number of cargo flights. In this context, Ambassador Arman Issagaliyev noted that since the beginning of the year there has been a noticeable increase in the volume of mutual trade by 2.8 times. Kazakh exports to Qatar increased by 59.3% and amounted to $5.0, of which 15.5% are Kazakh meat and meat products, which became available in large retail chains in Qatar.
The parties also noted the growing interest in visiting Kazakhstan and Qatar from tourists, due to the availability of direct flights and a visa-free regime.
In addition, Arman Issagaliyev expressed hope that the launching of direct flights from Doha to Astana next year will give an additional impetus to the development of the entire range of Kazakh-Qatari relations, including by intensifying business contacts between the two countries.