MINSK, 16 March (BelTA) – Belarusian products are popular with consumers in Kazakhstan, BelTA learned from the head of the lower chamber of the Kazakh parliament Nurlan Nigmatulin. The Kazakh MP read a lecture in the Lyceum of the Belarusian State University on 16 March.
Nurlan Nigmatulin remarked that retail chains that sell Belarusian furniture, flax, lingerie, and footwear operate in many cities in Kazakhstan. “Your products are recognizable. They enjoy a rather buoyant demand,” he said. Kazakhstan is one of Belarus' top three trade partners in the CIS after Russia and Ukraine.
Belarus-Kazakhstan industrial cooperation develops vigorously. BelAZ haul trucks and mining machines, Belarusian tractors, grain and forage harvesters, passenger and cargo lifts, utility vehicles, and fire trucks are now assembled in Kazakhstan. Industrial cooperation will be expanded with the establishment of the Belarusian-Kazakh industrial technology park in Kokshetau. A factory of Astana Motors Company in the city of Almaty started making MAZ trucks in early 2017. The project has gone beyond limits of semi-knocked-down assembly. The share of local components is already at 30%. By the end of the year the figure will rise to 50%.
There is a great potential in agribusiness for advancing Belarus-Kazakhstan cooperation. The Belarusian-Kazakh joint venture KazBelProdukt has been established for the sake of building a major meat-packing factory as part of the efforts to set up a food belt around Kazakhstan's capital city.
According to Nurlan Nigmatulin, as a kind friend, a sincere ally, and a reliable partner Kazakhstan is interested in the successful economic development of Belarus. “Your country's leadership, including the president, put systemic efforts into forming a modern competitive innovative economy. I am convinced that your president's instructions to secure macroeconomic balance, increase labor productivity, create an effective employment system, improve the effectiveness of state property administration will be successfully fulfilled by the government and the parliament as well as the entire Belarusian society,” said Nurlan Nigmatulin.
In his lecture Nurlan Nigmatulin also touched upon foreign policy. He reminded that Kazakhstan became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on 1 January 2017. He said Kazakhstan would like to thank Belarus' leadership for supporting Kazakhstan's candidacy. Kazakhstan intends to use this platform to usher in a political resolution and the improvement of the social and economic situation in Afghanistan. Kazakhstan also intends to continue its efforts to bring about a world free of nuclear weapons, a world without wars and conflicts. “The third round of talks on Syria is in progress in Astana. Minsk has become a worthy venue for resolving Ukraine-related issues. I think our countries should continue this peacemaking mission,” concluded Nurlan Nigmatulin.
