Kazakhstan, Switzerland stress mutual interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The foreign ministers of Kazakhstan and Switzerland on Wednesday welcomed the development of relations between their countries.

This came during a meeting between Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassi in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.

“The parties discussed the state and prospects for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian, scientific, technical and tourism fields, interaction in a multilateral format, including issues on the international and regional agenda,” a Kazakh Foreign Ministry statement said.

Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu said that Switzerland is an important political and economic partner for his country in Europe, adding that a “trusting political dialogue” has been established between the two countries.

“The interlocutors stressed mutual interest in strengthening cooperation between the two countries, including by maintaining a regular political dialogue and increasing trade, economic and investment cooperation. They noted with satisfaction the increase in mutual trade, which reached $1.4 billion at the end of last year,” the statement said.

It said that Switzerland is one of the three largest foreign investors in the Kazakh economy with direct investments of more than $31 billion, adding that more than 300 companies with Swiss capital are registered in Kazakhstan.

It further said that the foreign ministers underlined the “effective interaction” between their countries within the framework of UN and OSCE institutions, as well as Kazakhstan and Switzerland’s similar positions on international security issues.

For his part, Cassis expressed “support for political and socio-economic reforms aimed at building a just state, a strong economy and a prosperous society in Kazakhstan. He also noted the high level of relations between the two countries, emphasizing the presence of new promising areas,” the statement said.