On August 9, Astana hosted a business forum in the framework of the “Central Asia + Japan” dialogue. The event, organized by national company Kazakh Invest and Japanese association ROTOBO, was an important platform for strengthening trade, economic and investment ties between the countries of the region and Japan, Kazakh Invest reported.
Speaking at the event, Kazakh Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov noted that there is significant untapped potential for expansion and deepening of economic ties between the countries of the region and Japan.
“First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Japanese side and brotherly countries of Central Asia – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and business communities of all countries for your contribution to strengthening interaction in the region. I would like to emphasize that Central Asia has a huge potential for cooperation in various industries. Joint projects with Japanese companies in agriculture and agro-technology, transportation, logistics, green economy, engineering, education and mining and metallurgical industry can benefit both our region and Japanese consumers,” Kuantyrov emphasized.
During the forum, speakers emphasized that in order to achieve effective interconnectivity between the regions, it is first of all necessary to ensure the necessary connectivity between the countries of Central Asia.
“Central Asia is located at the intersection of Europe and Asia, which makes the region an important transportation and logistics hub, and the development of the Belt and Road initiative strengthens CA’s role in international trade. In recent years, the countries of the region have been actively investing in the development of transportation, energy and communication infrastructure. In turn, the Kazakhstan transport corridor allows to reduce the time of cargo delivery between Asia and Europe up to 12 days and reduce the cost of production,” said the Chairman of the Board of KAZAKH INVEST Yerzhan Yelekeev.
At the conclusion of the event, Central Asian countries and Japan signed 37 documents in sectors such as energy and ecology, transportation and logistics, mining, digitalization, education, engineering, medicine, and tourism.
