The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, and the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers – Head of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan, Adylbek Kasymaliev, discussed the development of cooperation.
"Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov noted that the active political dialogue between the leaders of the two countries – the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov – has elevated the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation to a new level and ensured high dynamics across all sectors. The volume of bilateral trade over the 11 months of the previous year increased and reached 1.6 billion dollars," the press service of the Kazakh government stated.
Kazakhstan is ready to increase the export of products across 175 categories totaling over 203 million dollars. These include products from the petrochemical, food, metallurgy, machine engineering, pharmaceutical sectors, construction materials, and more.
The agricultural sector accounts for about 20% of mutual trade. The countries are implementing a Roadmap to increase mutual supplies of agricultural products. The turnover in the agricultural sector over the 11 months of 2024 grew by 5.5% and amounted to 313.6 million dollars. During this period, Kazakhstan supplied 40.4 thousand tons of grain and 53.2 thousand tons of flour.
A key aspect of cooperation is investment interaction aimed at creating joint enterprises in the industrial sector. Several projects are currently under discussion. For instance, the construction of a ferrosilicon plant in the city of Tash-Kumyr, the opening of which will serve as an important signal for the major businesses of both countries, was noted by the government. Overall, the turnover of industrial goods between the countries for the 11 months of 2024 amounted to 985.5 million dollars, which is 3.9% more than in 2023. Meanwhile, exports from Kazakhstan increased by 13.5%.
The negotiations also addressed cooperation in the water-energy sector. It was noted that thanks to joint measures, the irrigation season of 2024 passed without losses. Particular attention was given to ensuring a safe inter-vegetative period in the basins of the rivers Shu and Talas this year.
One of the important issues on the bilateral agenda is the increase of transport and transit potential. Over the 9 months of 2024, the volume of export-import cargo transported by road increased by 16% and totaled 1.7 million tons. Therefore, the countries intend to enhance the throughput capacity of their shared border and the attractiveness of transit for freight carriers.
It is worth noting that the negotiations between Olzhas Bektenov and Adylbek Kasymaliev took place in Almaty, where the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council will be held.
Earlier, analysts from AKRA reported that the economies of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are considered average in terms of trade scale and markets, and while Kazakhstan's trade relations with them are expanding, they remain moderate overall. For Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz market is smaller compared to other trade directions, but it has growth potential, considering the openness of Kyrgyzstan's economy and the improvement of trade and transport infrastructure.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan reported that Kazakhstan is among the top three largest trading partners of Kyrgyzstan and has invested over 1.3 billion dollars in the economy of the neighboring country. To expand cooperation, they plan to open an Industrial Trade and Logistics Complex at the border.