Berlin, Germany
President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, made a joint press statement after high-level talks.
The Head of State expressed his gratitude to Olaf Scholz for the invitation to visit Berlin and the warm welcome he received.
– Germany is a strategic partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union, especially in terms of trade, economic, and investment relations. Therefore, we attach utmost importance to advancing bilateral cooperation. Today, we discussed a wide range of issues with Mr. Chancellor, paying particular attention to further strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and Germany, – Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President noted that today`s talks had once again reaffirmed the mutual commitment of the two sides to deepen Kazakh-German relations.
– As we have stated, in the current circumstances, Kazakhstan and Germany should take the most pragmatic approach to the implementation of new investment projects in order to ensure sustainable development of our countries. We have both the political will and huge economic potential for this. The prospects for trade and economic cooperation were at the center of our discussions. We emphasized the positive dynamics of bilateral trade and agreed to take practical steps to further expand the range of the exported and imported goods, – noted the Head of State.
He pointed out that the prospects of implementing joint projects in promising sectors such as oil and gas chemistry, metallurgy, transport and logistics were thoroughly discussed.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev commended the agreements reached by the Kazakh side with leading European companies.
– I welcome the signing of important commercial agreements with key partners such as Siemens, Deutsche Bahn, Siemens Energy, Linde, and others ahead of today's meeting. These documents are intended to give a significant impetus to the further strengthening of economic ties between our states, – the Head of State emphasized.
Developing cooperation in the energy sector was another priority of the discussions.
– As you know, according to our agreements, since the beginning of this year, Kazakhstan has sent 500,000 tonnes of oil to Germany through the Druzhba trunk oil pipeline. At the request of our German friends, I confirmed our country’s readiness to increase the volume of supplies and to sustain them over the long term, – said the Kazakh leader.
He also outlined new opportunities for increased interaction between the two countries.
– The combination of competitive advantages of Kazakhstan and Germany through the formula "raw materials, industry and technology" anticipates significant synergetic effect for both sides. I proposed to the Chancellor to create a Consortium for the implementation of joint projects on raw material development. In turn, we are interested in the transfer of advanced German technologies and scientific innovations in the fields of renewable energy, especially green hydrogen, – Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The Head of State expressed his readiness to collaborate on fostering the transit capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and its integration with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the Global Gateway initiative.
According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, there are also broad prospects for partnerships in the agro-industrial sector, finance, innovations and digitalization.
– Today, we cooperate with banks such as Deutsche Bank, Euler Hermes, KfW, and regional financial structures to finance economic projects. In order to expand this list, we are inviting German financial institutions for closer cooperation, – the President noted.
Special attention during the talks was paid to cultural and humanitarian relations. The Head of State welcomed the establishment of new Kazakh-German educational institutions, particularly the opening of the Kazakh-German Institute of Sustainable Engineering in Aktau in June this year.
To maintain a high level of cooperation between the countries, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited the German Chancellor to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted that Kazakhstan is a leading trade and economic partner of Germany in Central Asia. He pointed out the importance of expanding cooperation in the areas of energy, sustainable development, digitalization and combating climate change.
The Chancellor stated that Germany and the European Union fully support the reforms initiated by President Tokayev in Kazakhstan.
The leaders of Kazakhstan and Germany then addressed questions from the media.
In particular, the Head of State was asked about Kazakhstan's relations with Russia, the country’s position on the conflict in Ukraine.
– Indeed, Kazakhstan and Russia share the longest land border in the world. We have a longstanding tradition of cooperation, including in trade and humanitarian fields. In 2013, our countries signed a Treaty on Allied Relations. Regarding the Ukrainian conflict, Kazakhstan stands for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the initiation of peace talks based on the principles of the UN Charter. Today, I told the Chancellor that the situation is very serious. Both Russian and Ukrainian sides claim to be ready for negotiations, but the platform for negotiations is extremely unclear. Therefore, an era of reasonable, rational, – indeed, I would say, wise diplomacy is coming. Mutual accusations must stop. We need to find a basis for peaceful negotiations acceptable to both sides. Kazakhstan supports all efforts made by relevant states and groups of states that are proposing various options for resolving the Ukrainian conflict. On our part, we will make every effort. As for the border between Kazakhstan and Russia, it has been delimited and largely demarcated, as well as confirmed and ratified by the parliaments of the two countries. Therefore, we do not have any concerns about territorial claims by Russia. We maintain regular friendly contacts on a bilateral basis, as well as within the framework of the relevant integration associations, – articulated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
