The first official visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, took place on March 16 and 17 this year in the capital of the UAE - Abu Dhabi. Given the frequency of meetings between the heads of two states during working and private visits over many years, it can be noted with confidence that this visit was another proof of the truly fraternal relations between the two countries.
The personal friendship of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, with the President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who constantly gives the head of Kazakhstan special signs of honor and respect, contributes to this. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa personally arrived at the hotel, where the Kazakh leader stayed, with a courtesy visit, after which the presidents of the two countries went to the residence of the President of the United Arab Emirates - Al-Mushrif Palace, where the official greeting ceremony of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev was held.
Further, in the large hall of the palace, negotiations were held between the heads of the two states. "We have close friendly relations between our countries. The UAE is the closest partner of Kazakhstan in the Middle East region," Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized during the meeting.
The Emirate side also recognizes this fact, noting the personal contribution of the President of Kazakhstan to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation. The proof of this was the awarding of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev with the highest UAE award - the Order of Zayed. The Order was established in honor of the UAE founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and is awarded to the heads of foreign states for their special contribution to the development of bilateral relations. In turn, the President of the United Arab Emirates was awarded the state award of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Altyn Kyran" ("Golden Eagle"). After official negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, a number of bilateral documents of interstate importance were signed: agreements between Kazakhstan and the UAE on mutual legal assistance and legal relations in civil and commercial matters; extradition of persons who committed crimes; mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. In addition, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurlan Yermekbayev and State Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE Anwar Muhammed Gargash signed a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs.
After the official part of the reception, the opening ceremony of the Days of Culture of Kazakhstan in the UAE was held, which was held at the five-star Abu Dhabi hotel - Emirates Palace. The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, became the main guests of honor at the festive concert. The United Arab Emirates is the first Gulf country to host Kazakhstan Culture Days. At the opening ceremony, more than one and a half thousand people gathered. In the luxurious lobby of the hotel, guests were greeted by girls in Kazakh national costumes, who treated everyone with signature Kazakh chocolate. Here, a Kazakhstani exhibition was organized, in which, in addition to the historical ancient values of the country, the legendary archaeological find of the last century - the robe of the “Golden Man” was exhibited. The concert program, including music performed by the Kazakh National Orchestra, folk songs, ballet dances, a parade of tenors, was an original
the different symbiosis of the steppe and European creativity made an indelible impression on the public.
On the second day of the visit, the first extended meeting of the Business Council of Kazakhstan and the UAE was held with the participation of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, at which a meeting was held with leading businessmen of the UAE, Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri and President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Salah Al-Shamisi.
From the Kazakhstan side, members of the Government, the leadership of the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, and business representatives attended the meeting.
The business council, created on the initiative of the heads of state, was designed to fill with concrete content the negotiations that are being held at the highest level between Kazakhstan and the UAE in the economic aspect.
The President of Kazakhstan called the relations between the two states an example of stable and successful political and economic cooperation. It was emphasized that this cooperation has acquired the character of a strategic partnership.
The priority area of cooperation between the capitals of Astana and Abu Dhabi was investment. The basic document aimed at enhancing investments in such sectors of the economy as industry, transport and communications, construction, pharmaceuticals and medicine was the RK-UAE Action Plan, signed in 2006. Today it is being successfully implemented in a number of areas. In particular, work is underway on investment projects in which the Emirate side is taking part: the construction of Aktau City on the Caspian Sea (more than US $ 40 billion) and the AbuDhabi Plaza multidisciplinary complex in Astana (more than US $ 1 billion), interaction in the oil and gas sector is actively building. So, in February last year, a memorandum of understanding was signed in the field of the construction of a petrochemical complex in Western Kazakhstan between the emirate IPIC, KazMunaiGaz and Kazakhstan's Sat & Co. The total project cost is more than five billion dollars.
In December 2008, a memorandum of understanding was signed between NC KazMunayGas, the Emirate company Mubadala Development and the American company ConcocoFillips on a contract for the exploration and development of the N field on the Caspian shelf.
Diversification requires considerable financial investments. In this regard, joint work is underway to create funds that will allocate funds for the implementation of breakthrough projects. So, following the results of the first official visit of the President of the United Arab Emirates to Kazakhstan, in July 2008, an agreement was reached and an agreement was signed between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and IPIC to create a joint investment fund Falah with an authorized capital of one billion dollars. It is planned that the fund will be used to develop and implement investment projects in the energy sector.
Another joint fund with an authorized capital of $ 500 million, with the participation of IPIC and Samruk-Kazyna, is created to finance investment projects in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
"Today, to further deepen our contacts, we propose to actively diversify our economic relations through the implementation of large mutually beneficial projects. Already, we should think about the prospects that will open in the post-crisis period," said Nursultan Nazarbayev, addressing representatives of the UAE business community.
In particular, an initiative was voiced, according to which UAE investment funds and financial institutions were offered to place part of their capital in deposits of Kazakh banks, or to buy back securities of Kazakh companies.
"This step would be a very profitable and reliable investment for you. We, for our part, are ready to take your investments under the protection of government guarantees," the head of Kazakhstan emphasized. Given the resource potential of Kazakhstan, as well as the rich experience and financial capabilities of the Emirate partners, bilateral cooperation has all the prerequisites for the further expansion of high value-added industries that will ensure the processing of Kazakhstan's natural resources. Among them are chemistry, petrochemistry, the production of petroleum products, metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and the production of equipment for the transport, oil and gas, and agricultural sectors.
In addition, cooperation in large infrastructure projects is seen as a priority. For example, at present, Kazakhstan has begun construction of a section of the “Western China - Western Europe” highway with a length of three thousand kilometers and a cost of $ 7.5 billion.
In turn, the UAE Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri confirmed the readiness of the Emirates to cooperate in the banking sector, noting that Kazakhstan has created the necessary legal framework, taking into account, inter alia, the specifics of Islamic banking.
According to the World Bank rating, the investment climate is also steadily favorable: Kazakhstan is one of the twenty most attractive states for investment.
In general, a liberal market economy and an adequate legal framework create all the conditions for fruitful work. This was also stated by the President of the UAE Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Salah al-Shamsi, emphasizing that Kazakhstan is the main partner of the Emirates in Central Asia and expressed hope for further strengthening of cooperation.
At the end of the meeting of the Business Council, Nursultan Nazarbayev gave an interview to representatives of the largest media in the UAE: the Abu-Dhabi TV channel, the WAM news agency and the Russian Emirates magazine.
Journalists were especially interested in the anti-crisis experience of Kazakhstan, as well as the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev on the introduction of a single world currency, the causes of the global financial crisis and the measures that must be taken to radically update the global economy.
