Kazakhstan Strengthens Cooperation with the Kingdom of Belgium
The first meeting of the Kazakhstan-Belgium Business Council was held in Astana to enhance bilateral economic relations. The event, organized by JSC "National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna" with the support of JSC "KAZAKH INVEST", brought together over 50 representatives from government bodies and businesses of both countries.
Belgium is an important economic partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union, and the two countries have a number of intergovernmental agreements aimed at deepening trade and economic cooperation, as well as promoting and protecting investments.
Economic relations between Kazakhstan and Belgium are developing dynamically. The inflow of investments from Belgium since 2005 has amounted to $11.52 billion, and moreover, the Kingdom has been a leading investor in Kazakhstan for many years. The trade turnover in 2022 exceeded $514 million, increasing by 19% compared to 2021.
From the Kazakh side, the Council was addressed by Kanat Sharlapaev, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC "National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna", Margulan Baimukhanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Belgium, and Ayan Erenov, Co-Chairman of the Business Council and Chairman of the Foreign Trade Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Belgian side was represented by Henri Van Tigem, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Denis Van den Weghe, Co-Chairman from the Belgian side, and Yves Richard, Director of "AWEX" for Europe.
Daulet Saktaganov, Regional Director for European countries at KAZAKH INVEST, gave a presentation on investment opportunities in Kazakhstan, explaining the company's activities and the preferences provided by the Government of Kazakhstan. He invited Belgian companies to implement projects in Kazakhstan. According to him, the list of Kazakh-Belgian investment projects currently consists of 7 projects with a total value of over $307 million.
Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Belgium continues to develop actively, and both sides express readiness to strengthen mutually beneficial relations in the field of economy and investments.
