At the opening of the meeting with the Ministry’s leadership team, the President of Kazakhstan noted that today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is facing new challenges that meet the needs of the modern world.
“I would like to thank Yerzhan Kazykhanov for his activities within the framework of Kazakhstan's Chairmanship in the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Despite the difficult situation that has arisen in the Muslim world, I think that we did well with this mission. Yerlan Idrissov has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and for many years served as the Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the United States and accumulated a great experience during that time. Now you need to use this experience for the benefit of the people and the country,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said.
The head of state also emphasized that special attention should be paid to the solution of foreign economic issues.
“The economic part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be strengthened. We are now conducting the industrial and innovative programme. Our goal now is to bring new technologies in exchange for oil and gas and other mineral resources available in Kazakhstan. We have to work very pragmatically and strengthen those Embassies, where we have serious economic contacts. We have approached a point, when we have means and opportunity for Kazakhstan to invest abroad. I mean that we could enter into the shares of technology companies and buy such companies." the President said.
Nursultan Nazarbayev also noted that over the past ten years, the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan had been successfully working in all areas.
“Hosting the OSCE Summit can be considered as our main activity. Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the OSCE has drawn a great level of response in the world. Moreover, it is necessary to emphasize Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the activity within the SCO and the CICA. As for the economic part, we can mark our activities in the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space, which is one of the priorities of our work for the coming years. These are the key challenges the Foreign Affairs Ministry is currently facing." the President concluded.
