A Kazakh-Finnish roundtable was held in Astana on April 11 with the participation of the Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Mansur Oshurbayev, and the Minister of International Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland, Ville Tavio. The event, organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan and national company Kazakh Invest, gathered about 100 representatives of government agencies and the two countries’ private sector, Kazakh Invest reported.
In their welcoming speeches, Mansur Oshurbayev and Ville Tavio noted the mutual desire of the countries to expand economic relations.
Nurzhan Abilkhayir, Director of the Investment Attraction and Marketing Department of Kazakh Invest, presented the trade and investment potential of Kazakhstan and noted the further need for the development of bilateral cooperation, inviting Finnish businesses to implement joint projects in Kazakhstan.
“The inflow of investments from Finland to Kazakhstan has exceeded $378 million since 2011. At the same time, last year’s trade turnover amounted to $208 million. In this regard, we see great potential for localizing the production of goods in Kazakhstan with the possibility of exporting to nearby large markets. Today’s event is a good opportunity to learn more about the investment climate in Kazakhstan, promising projects in the manufacturing sectors of the economy, and success stories of foreign investors in our country,” Abilkhayir said.
Representatives of EastCham Finland, Finnish Forest Industries, Water Forum FWF, Econet Oy, Metso, and Wärtsilä announced proposals for implementing projects in the fields of education, energy and green energy, petrochemistry, metallurgy, and agriculture.
A partnership agreement and a roadmap for strategic partnerships between KazCenter Housing and Communal Services and ECONET Ltd. were signed during the forum. The deal aims to introduce advanced technologies for equipment production for sewage treatment plants (CBS) ECONET on the territory of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s Taraz Regional University signed two memorandums of understanding with the World Water Forum and the Finnish Kayani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK). The memorandum aims to develop cooperation in training in water areas, including through double diplomas and conducting and developing research activities in the field of water issues in Central Asia.
