Lisbon, February 13, 2023 – Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi arrived on a visit to the Portuguese Republic, during which he held talks with Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho and meetings with the heads of a number of leading companies of this country.

During the constructive and friendly conversation, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries discussed the current state and prospects for the development of cooperation in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres between Kazakhstan and Portugal.

The ministers “compared notes” on a number of topical issues on the international agenda, including in the context of the development of strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the European Union. The quality of positive dialogue within the framework of international and regional organizations, expressed in mutual support of initiatives and similarity of positions on major geopolitical issues, was noted.

The parties stressed the need to improve institutional mechanisms, diversify mutual trade, develop transit and transport routes, as well as intensify cooperation in areas such as digitalization, IT industry, green energy, tourism, education, etc.

The interlocutors paid special attention to the further expansion of the legal framework and the development of political dialogue. The need to establish an Intergovernmental Commission and a Business Council of the two countries as soon as possible to intensify promising areas of cooperation and stimulate direct contacts between government and business structures was emphasized. The issue of facilitating the visa regime for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan was discussed separately.

Minister Cravinho expressed confidence that the visit of the Kazakh Foreign Minister to Lisbon will give an additional impetus to further expansion of cooperation across the entire spectrum of interaction. “Portugal considers Kazakhstan as an important and reliable partner in the strategically promising region of Central Asia. We are ready to strengthen multifaceted cooperation and contribute to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation,” the Portuguese minister said.

In turn, Minister Tileuberdi invited his colleague to pay a return visit to Kazakhstan. Cravinho gladly accepted the invitation and said that he is ready to visit Astana in the second half of this year, accompanied by a representative business delegation.

The meeting of the Kazakh delegation with the management of the Taguspark Science and Technology Park, which employs over 160 leading technology companies, both multinational and European, was very fruitful.

Eduardo Baptista Correia, Chairman of the Management Board of Taguspark, and the heads of companies such as Altice, ISQ, PHC Software, Jaba Recordati, TechnoEdif, Bandora and Shift Consulting, representing the fields of IT, software, business certification and pharmaceuticals, showed genuine interest in the dynamic development of the financial technology ecosystem in Kazakhstan. An agreement has been reached to establish cooperation with Astana Hub and the Astana International Financial Center. In addition, a number of Taguspark companies have expressed their desire to visit Kazakhstan this year to establish contacts and search for promising partners in order to implement mutually beneficial projects.

On the same day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan gave an interview to the largest Portuguese news agency Diario de Noticias about bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Portugal and the upcoming parliamentary elections in our country.