Astana hosts Georgia-Kazakhstan commission to strengthen economic cooperation

Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana on Friday hosted the 12th session of the joint intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation between Georgia and Kazakhstan, with the event co-chaired by Levan Davitashvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Georgia, and Marat Karabayev, the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan.

Highlighting geographical advantages of the two nations, Davitashvili expressed confidence in further deepening the partnership, citing the “strategic location” of Georgia at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and Kazakhstan's “abundant resources and strategic position” in Central Asia.

Our countries are not only close geographically, but also in terms of commitment to global integration, economic development, and regional stability”, he said.

The Ministry of Economy said the agenda of the session encompassed trade and economic cooperation, including trade, investments, tourism, energy, transport and logistics, industry, information technologies, and innovations.

The body added parties also discussed the development of a digital corridor between Europe and Asia, as well as participation in trans-Caspian transport and logistics projects, such as the Middle Corridor - a logistics route connecting Central Asia and China to Europe via the South Caucasus through Georgia.

Officials highlighted the growth in trade and economic relations between the two countries. The trade turnover surged by 168 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, with Kazakhstan ranking eight among Georgia's trade partners, the Ministry said.

Furthermore, positive trends were observed in the tourism sector, with a 39 percent year-on-year increase in the number of international visitors from Kazakhstan to Georgia in 2023.

The trade and economic relations between our countries have shown positive growth in various sectors. The current results of our partnership in regional projects confirm that there are still many opportunities for cooperation. Realising these opportunities will be important and successful for both countries. I am confident that we will continue to cooperate fruitfully in the future”, Davitashvili said.

The session also witnessed the signing of a protocol and a memorandum of cooperation between the Kazakhstan Entrepreneurship Development Fund Damu and the Development Fund of Georgia. The memorandum aims to foster collaboration in supporting small and medium enterprises and initiating joint projects, the Ministry said.