Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Olaf Scholz held talks in an expanded format with the participation of members of official delegations, El.kz news agency reports citing Akorda.
The President stressed the special importance of the first official visit of the Chancellor to our country and expressed confidence that today's meeting will bring the multifaceted cooperation between Kazakhstan and Germany to a new level.
We have just discussed the prospects for further strengthening bilateral relations. Particular attention was paid to deepening integration in the trade, economic and investment spheres. In addition, we discussed topical international issues, in particular, exchanged views on the current geopolitical situation, global security and regional development, as well as climate change. Prospects for cooperation within the framework of international organizations were also considered. Bilateral relations are developing in the spirit of strategic partnership. I am convinced that today's talks will contribute to the expansion of our contacts," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
As the Head of State noted, Germany is one of the main trading partners of Kazakhstan and is among the leading investors in our economy.
Last year, bilateral trade increased by almost 1.5 times and amounted to about $4 billion. Positive dynamics is observed this year as well. Over the past seven months, the volume of mutual trade has exceeded $2.3 billion. Since 2005, direct investment from Germany has amounted to about $6.7 billion. It is encouraging that 90 percent of these funds fall on the non-resource sector. Today, more than a thousand companies with a share of German capital operate in Kazakhstan, the President emphasized.
The Federal Chancellor of Germany thanked Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the hospitality shown to him on Kazakh soil and noted the dynamic development of bilateral relations.
We strive to promote economic cooperation, to make direct investments in your country, to expand opportunities for mutual trade. And, of course, we want to develop economic cooperation in all other areas. We are very pleased that our cooperation in the energy sector is progressing steadily. We have established trust-based and consistent cooperation, which is a good example for the whole world. It is encouraging that we also discussed the important international challenges that we face," Olaf Scholz said.
The parties confirmed their interest in building up mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation, especially in the fields of energy, green transformation, mining, transport and logistics, climate protection, ecology and agriculture.
The prospects for strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties between Kazakhstan and Germany were also considered.
Following the talks, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz adopted a Joint Declaration on Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Federal Republic of Germany.