The 31st meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club took place in Brussels

The 31st meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club took place in Brussels

Brussels, May 10, 2021

– Issues of cooperation and attraction of investments in the field of agriculture and tourism, development of the export potential of Kazakhstan were considered during the regular, 31st meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club (BEK) with the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi.

Joint efforts were discussed to minimize the negative economic consequences of the crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and to support business. The event was held in a hybrid format and was organized by the Eastern Committee of the German Economy together with the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Germany.

The speakers from the European side were the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany Uwe Feiler, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy, the Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism of the Federal Republic of Germany Thomas Barreis, ex-European Commissioner, curator of the Center for European Policy Gunther Ettinger, member of the Management Board of the CLAAS Group Christian Radons, Chairman of the Management Board of METRO AG Stefan Groibel and President of the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Foreign Trade of the EU Eurochambres Christoph Lytl. The Kazakh side was represented by the Chairman of the Board of JSC NMH Baiterek Aidar Arifkhanov, Vice Minister of Sports and Tourism Gabidolla Abdrakhimov, Deputy Akim of Pavlodar region Saken Shayakhmetov, Chairman of the Board of JSC NC Kazakh Invest Meirzhan Yusupov. The event was also attended by about ___ representatives of government and business circles of Kazakhstan, Germany, Belgium, EU bodies, industry and regional business associations, heads of leading European companies. In his welcoming speech, M. Tleuberdi informed about the policy of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to ensure sustainable economic growth and social support for the country’s population during the pandemic. The progressive implementation of the Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU, which entered into force in March 2020, requires special attention. European participants in the BEK meeting expressed interest in implementing projects aimed at supporting and further developing agriculture and tourism, expanding the export potential of Kazakhstan. On the sidelines of the event, M. Tleuberdi held a number of bilateral meetings with the heads of companies from Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, during which the prospects for developing partnerships and joint implementation of new investment projects were discussed. The Berlin Eurasian Club was established in 2012 on the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and the former Vice-Chancellor, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Hans-Dietrich Genscher. BEK acts as an informal dialogue platform open for the participation of representatives of government agencies, business, experts and practitioners from Germany and other European countries to discuss topical issues of interaction in various spheres of the economy.