During the talks, the Head of State noted that today Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea are reliable and strategic partners.
- Cultural and trade ties between the two nations have flourished for many centuries, since the Great Silk Road. The proximity of the history of our nations is confirmed by the fact that the Kazakh and Korean languages belong to the same Ural-Altai language group, the President of Kazakhstan said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the contribution of the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to establishing and strengthening Kazakh-South Korean relations.
- Elbasy stood at the origins of bilateral partnership. He has built on a rock of friendship and cooperation between our countries and peoples, the Head of State emphasized.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that over the years of Independence of Kazakhstan, the relations of the two countries reached a qualitatively new level of cooperation in almost all areas. He highly appreciated the activities of the Intergovernmental Commission and the Kazakh-South Korean Business Council.
- South Korea is among ten priority countries for Kazakhstan in terms of developing trade, investment and technology cooperation. It is gratifying to note the gradual increase in the volume of mutual trade. In the last year alone, its figures reached a record 4 billion dollars, more than twice the volume of 2017. Our cooperation in the field of investment is in systematic progress. So, only the inflow of direct investments from Korea to Kazakhstan amounted to about 7 billion dollars. South Korean business is fully functional in the food, mining, automotive and other sectors of our economy, the President of Kazakhstan said.
Noting the importance of Korean Diaspora’s contribution to the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries, the Head of State indicated that it is among the largest ethnic groups in Kazakhstan. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev assured that the Cabinet will continue to create conditions for preserving the ethno-cultural identity of Koreans living in our country.
In turn, the President of South Korea, positively assessing Kazakhstan-2050 Development Strategy, stressed that among the countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is developing at the highest rates.
- Kazakhstan supports the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude for your support. Kazakhstan is a country that has made economic progress after voluntarily renouncing nuclear weapons. This is a very important example for the Korean Peninsula, Moon Jae-in said.
At the end of the meeting, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed that today's visit is of great importance from the point of view of further developing cooperation between the two countries, and assured that, as the Head of State, he will further strengthen the friendship of Kazakhstan and South Korea.
