COMMUNIQUE ON THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
February 11, 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Federal Republic of Germany.
Over a quarter-century of interaction, Kazakhstan and Germany have established high-level cooperation and a trust-based and informative dialogue. The two countries have created a solid contractual legal framework, established an impressive amount of dialogue platforms and institutions – the Intergovernmental Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation, Kazakh-German Business Council, Delegation of German Economy in Central Asia, Berlin Eurasian Club and others.
The visits of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to Berlin in February 2012 and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Astana in 2010 have given a significant impetus to bilateral cooperation.
Kazakhstan and Germany are steadily strengthening their economic and trade relations and are in search of new opportunities for economic cooperation. Today, Germany is among the ten leading foreign investors in Kazakhstan’s economy and the top five trade partners of our country among European countries.
In recent years, 19 major investment projects in construction, trade, manufacturing, mining, etc. have been implemented in cooperation with German companies in Kazakhstan. The largest partners include the German companies Siemens, Knauf, Metro Cash & Carry, Heidelberg Cement, Quaesta Capital, Linde AG and others.
The joint implementation of the Partnership Agreement on raw materials, industry and technologies between Kazakhstan and Germany plays an important role in the development of economic and trade cooperation.
Germany will take an active part in the preparation and holding of EXPO 2017 in Kazakhstan and present the latest developments in alternative energy.
Since 2012, the Nazarbayev-Merkel initiative to introduce the German model of the so-called dual vocational education in Kazakhstan has been successfully implemented. The initiative’s objective is to use the best practices of German Chambers of Crafts to help develop vocational and technical education. As part of the same initiative of the leaders of Kazakhstan and Germany, a programme of management training in Kazakhstan is being carried out through the German Society for International Cooperation.
In addition to economic cooperation, we attach great political and practical importance to collaboration in relation to ethnic Germans living in Kazakhstan, who, along with immigrants from Kazakhstan to Germany, are “a bridge” between the two countries. This factor has been and will remain an important part of our relations.
The Intergovernmental Commission, which held its regular meeting on September 8, 2016 in Berlin, plays a key role in this regard.
Following the principles and spirit of the Kazakh-German agreements, Kazakhstan and Germany will continue to steadily enhance interaction and practical cooperation and promote joint development and prosperity.