First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, H E Alikhan Smailov, Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, and other Kazakh officials and QBA members during the meeting in Doha recently.
Doha: The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) held a meeting with a high-level Kazakh delegation headed by Kazakhstan 's First Deputy Prime Minister H E Alikhan Smailov.
The delegation also included the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice Minister of Agriculture, Vice Minister of National Economy, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Qatar H E Arman Issagaliyev. During the event, both parties discussed the potential opportunities for enhancing bilateral economic relations between both countries.
The meeting was headed by QBA Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani in the presence of QBA members including Sheikh Faisal bin Fahd Al Thani, Khalid Al Mannai, Nabil Abu Issa, Muhammad Al Rabban, Maqbool Khalfan, Ramez Al Khayyat, Ibrahim Al Jaidah, Faisal Al Mana, Muhammad Althaf, as well as QBA’s Deputy GM Sarah Abdullah.
At the beginning of the meeting, Sheikh Faisal welcomed the delegation and pointed out the openness of the QBA to search for investment opportunities in the global market, as most QBA members have various diversified investments in many countries around the world. He also spoke about the competitiveness of the Qatari companies and the Qatari market, which is full of opportunities, and expressed the will of QBA to facilitate partnerships among businessmen of both countries and the readiness of Qatari businessmen to cooperate with their counterparts in Kazakhstan. For their part, the QBA members provided an overview of the different economic sectors of their companies and the investment sectors they are interested in.
Also speaking during the event, Smailov highlighted the growing relations between Kazakhstan and Qatar, and added that his visit aims to strengthen ways of cooperation and develop the partnership between the business sectors in the two countries. He went on to reiterate the Kazakh government’s strategic goals with its trading partners, especially in the fields of mining, energy, agriculture, construction and others.
The delegation demonstrated the investment opportunities and projects in various economic sectors, and noted that there are over 5,000 deposits of mineral resources in the country, with an estimated cost of tens of trillions of dollars. To date, Kazakhstan ranks first in the world in explored reserves of zinc, tungsten and barite; second on silver, lead and chromite; third on copper and fluorite; fourth on molybdenum; and the sixth on gold.
Representatives of the Kazakh government also spoke about the significant oil and gas resources of the country, which ranks ninth in the world in terms of proven oil reserves, most of which are located in the western regions. In addition, the country’s uranium and coal deposits rank second and eighth in the world, respectively. The delegation also presented opportunities for public-private partnerships in future investment projects in the energy sector, specifically with regard to uranium for electricity production
In the agriculture sector, the Vice Minister of Agriculture spoke about the sector in Kazakhstan, which is among the top 10 grain-exporting countries in the world and is one of the leading countries in the export of flour. He added that nearly 70 percent of the arable land in northern Kazakhstan is occupied by grains and industrial crops such as wheat and barley. Rice, cotton and tobacco are also grown in the south of the country.
Kazakhstan is also famous for its gardens, vineyards, and melons. Livestock farming is another leading area of agriculture, especially with the government’s Agricultural Development Fund to attract foreign investors, he added.
During the meeting, the QBA members affirmed their interest in discussing investment opportunities in Kazakhstan, and stressed their readiness to develop cooperation between the two parties. They also proposed that the first visit be organised after the opening of the direct flights between the two countries soon, in order to discuss and study possible investment projects not only in Qatar and Kazakhstan, but also in other countries.
The representative of Kazakhstan’s National Investment Agency also provided an overview of the investment climate in the republic, and reiterated Kazakhstan’s ratings in major economic indicators such as Fitch and Moody’s. The delegation also indicated that the country intends to vaccinate 100 percent of the population by the end of September, in addition to the country’s efforts to develop the infrastructure needed to facilitate the transportation of goods through the establishment of an advanced transportation network.
Prior to QBA’s meeting, a tour at Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani Museum was organised the day before for the members of the delegation, where the delegation expressed their great admiration for the museum’s exhibits, and thanked Sheikh Faisal for the private tour that was organised.
