site.btaKazakhstan Ready to Support Bulgarian Businesses, Says President Tokayev

"We are ready to create favorable conditions for Bulgarian companies that wish to operate in our country," said Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday. He and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan, made joint statements after holding a one-on-one meeting earlier in the day.

In the presence of both presidents, several memorandums of understanding were exchanged — for the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, cooperation between the diplomatic institutes of the two countries, between the cities of Sofia and Astana, as well as between Plovdiv and Shymkent, and a memorandum of understanding between the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan.

According to Tokayev, around 60 Bulgarian companies are currently successfully operating in various sectors in Kazakhstan. To strengthen business cooperation, he has proposed the creation of a Kazakhstan–Bulgaria Business Council.

A street named "Sofia" will soon be inaugurated in Astana. “In 2019, a street named ‘Astana’ was opened in Sofia. In the near future, we will inaugurate a street in Astana named ‘Sofia,’” Tokayev said, adding that "there is every reason to say the talks were successful."

“With President Radev, we discussed important global and regional issues. Our countries’ positions on many peace-related topics align. The complex geopolitical situation and various conflicts around the world are causes of concern for both of our countries. We believe that all disputes must be resolved through peaceful, political, and diplomatic means. We place special importance on multilateral diplomacy. In the future, we will coordinate our efforts at the international level and actively participate in the strengthening of peace and stability,” President Tokayev explained.

“I am confident this meeting will serve as a new impetus for cooperation between our two countries. Bulgaria is a reliable partner for Kazakhstan in Southeast Europe. Our cooperation is based on strong friendship and mutual understanding. Kazakhstan views Bulgaria as a strategically important partner and attaches great importance to further developing our bilateral relations,” he stated.

“Our talks today were substantive and resulted in concrete agreements,” Tokayev said. He noted a focus on increasing cooperation in trade, the economy, and investment. “Trade turnover between our countries is growing, and this is a positive trend. We agreed on new investment projects that align with our mutual interests.”

“Today, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has become one of the major international corridors. We agreed to explore the possibility of including the Bulgarian ports of Burgas and Varna in this corridor. We believe the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between our countries should pay special attention to this matter,” Kazakhstan's President added. “We also agreed to establish a joint working group on transport and logistics issues,” he concluded.