Kazakh President holds talks with Qatari Emir

Qatar is Kazakhstan's most important partner in the Middle East. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who arrived in Kazakhstan for a state visit, held talks in a narrow format. The leaders of the two countries discussed ways to enhance mutual cooperation in trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. It bears noting that at present, Kazakhstan’s exports to Qatar amount to US$3 million. It is planned to bring it up to US$70 million, as all the necessary opportunities have been created for this. Next year will be dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states. The parties agreed on a strategic partnership.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for accepting my invitation and coming to Kazakhstan on a state visit. Today, we are planning to reach agreements on the most important issues of bilateral relations. The State of Qatar is our most important partner in the Middle East. Therefore, we are ready to put all efforts to further develop our relations,” Tokayev said.

“Your Excellency Mr. President, thank you for inviting me to pay a state visit to your country. Good relations have been established between our countries. In recent years, our contacts in various fields have been steadily developing. Today, as part of my state visit, we will discuss the implementation of the agreements reached at the economic forum held in June in Doha. These agreements are aimed at developing cooperation in several areas. These issues will be comprehensively considered and discussed with the participation of the relevant ministers during the talks in an expanded format. I would also like to wish the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, which will be held tomorrow, a success,” said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Following the meeting held in a narrow format, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani continued negotiations with the participation of the official delegations of the two states. The parties discussed the state and prospects for the development of Kazakh-Qatari relations, focusing on the prospects for trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. As a result of the negotiations, Kazakhstan and Qatar signed 12 documents.