The first meeting of the UK – Kazakh Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) on Trade-Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation took place in Astana on November 5, 2014. Association of service companies of Kazakhstan took part at this meeting. The UK delegation was headed by Lord Livingston, UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment, accompanied by a large delegation of British businesses from various sectors. These companies were interested in the Kazakhstani market and in participation in the second five-year period of the industrialisation program.
The Kazakh side was headed by Mr Asset Isekeshev, Minister of Investments and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and by representatives of KazNex Invest and Kazgeology, JSC. They informed the British counterparts about recent changes in Kazakhstan’s investment policy, new projects and business opportunities in Kazakhstan.
Both sides gave a positive assessment to the current state of bilateral business relations and expressed a strong willingness to further explore new business opportunities and expand the existing partnership. In particular, both delegations agreed to actively develop cooperation in the sphere of finance, metallurgy, mining, education, culture, tourism and healthcare.
During the meeting the British and Kazakh sides highlighted the cooperation between JSC Kazgeology and Rio Tinto as a positive example and agreed to continue active interaction between KazNex Invest, the Ministry of Investments and Development and UKTI.
During this first IGC meeting the UK and Kazakh sides signed an intergovernmental Protocol, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UK’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The establishment of the UK-Kazakh Intergovernmental
Commission was proposed when the British Prime Minister David Cameron and the
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev met during the
Prime Minister’s visit to Kazakhstan in 2013. The official launch of the IGC
took part in October 2013 in London. The Commission is designed to
provide a framework for senior government to government dialogue for stronger
business engagement in such spheres as education, science, innovation, culture
and energy. It’s the next step in the further strengthening of business
relations between the UK and Kazakhstan.