The Kazakh-Turkish business forum was held in Astana

On 10^th of August, the Kazakh-Turkish business forum was held in Astana. It was organized by the Ministry of Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Atameken" and the Chamber of Commerce of Kazakhstan. The event was attended by Vice-Minister for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Erlan Khairov, Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Kazakhstan Ayan Yerenov, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Turkey Nihat Zeibekzhi and other representatives of the business communities of the two countries.

"Today Kazakhstan has all conditions for doing business, investing and developing partnerships. The Business Council functions, a visa-free regime was introduced for citizens of Kazakhstan and Turkey, direct air communication is open between our countries, an Agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments is signed and is in force. At present, large Turkish holdings and representatives of small and medium-sized businesses work in Kazakhstan. Today, Kazakhstan is carrying out reforms to diversify the economy, setting a goal to enter the 30 most developed countries in the world. International financial center will start functioning on the territory of EXPO-2017. For investors, we will offer legal regulation of investment issues, based on the rules of English law with judicial proceedings and the attraction of foreign judges. We are interested in attracting Turkish investments in the economy of our country and we expect that large-scale economic projects will attract Turkish business", - said Yerlan Khairov, vice minister for investments and development of RK.

Yerlan Khairov also noted that Kazakhstan joined the Committee on Investments of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This is a sign that the investment climate in Kazakhstan meets high international standards.

"About 50 companies came to the business forum from Turkey. I think that this event will have a fruitful impact on our cooperation, not only economically, but also in humanitarian and cultural way. It should be noted that about 2,000 joint ventures were registered in Kazakhstan. This year Kazakhstan and Turkey signed an agreement between the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs "Atameken" and the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Stocks of Turkey during the fifth meeting of the Business Council of the Turkic countries. The interaction of entrepreneurs of the two countries is an example of the development of joint business. Having opened an enterprise here, you can also get access to China within the framework of the Silk Road. I sincerely want to congratulate Turkey on their national day and wish them success", - Ayan Yerenov said.​

The Ministry of Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with experts from the World Bank, developed a national strategy for attracting investments. A national investment attraction company, Kazakh Invest, has been established, which implements the function of a "single negotiator" on behalf of the government. Kazakhstan is carrying out a large-scale campaign to privatize large state-owned enterprises.

"Currently, we trade with natural and energy resources, we are ready to cooperate in other sectors. Thanks to our friendly relations, good conditions are created for entrepreneurs. Political will is positively reflected not only in terms of trade and investment in each other's economy, but also in the economy of third countries. In 1992, we signed an agreement on the basis that we put our trade and economic activities into practice, it is necessary to update this document and determine the priorities for trading activities. We need combined logistics, we are ready to invest in Kazakhstan to realize potential routes. We have a visa-free regime, but it is also necessary to make it visa-free for the workforce so that our resources will operate freely in two countries", - said the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Turkey Nihat Zeibekzhi.

In particular, Turkish companies are interested in cooperation in the following areas: construction, energy, textile, mining, agriculture, food processing, agricultural equipment, tourism, engineering, aviation services, urban environment, banking, synthetic fibers and adhesives for industrial use.

"We really liked the international special exhibition EXPO - 2017. Today the national day is held at the pavilion of Turkey. All the activities carried out have a positive effect on our cooperation. During the forum, I think our companies will expand their geography and identify those industries in which they will work together. Kazakhstan is the heart of Eurasia, all the reforms you have made have become comfortable for investors", - said Mustafa Chykrykchoglu, the chairman of the business delegation, deputy chairman of the board of the Association of Exporters of Turkey.

During the working visit of the Turkish delegation to Kazakhstan, the parties discussed bilateral trade and economic cooperation and are ready for further joint work in terms of business development in the two countries.