Latest news with #Nurtleu
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
India is a key strategic partner for Kazakhstan; DPM calls for increasing Indian FDI
Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu affirmed India's role as a key strategic partner and outlined a vision to triple bilateral trade, expand energy and digital cooperation, and invite Indian investment in infrastructure and innovation during the Central Asia–India Business Council meeting on June 5 in New Delhi. Nurtleu pointed to the potential to increase bilateral trade from $1 billion in 2024 to $3 billion in the near future and noted a 41% rise in Indian investments in Kazakhstan, which have exceeded $525 million, reported Kazakh Foreign Ministry 's press service. 'We consider this only as the beginning. Kazakhstan, as the largest economy in Central Asia and a transit hub between East and West, is ready to strengthen cooperation with India in areas such as trade, digital transformation, critical minerals, energy security, and humanitarian ties,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Make Smarter Health Insurance Choices Search7 Learn More Undo Nurtleu identified transport and logistical connectivity as a key area for cooperation, emphasizing the importance of developing international corridors, notably the North – South route and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or the Middle Corridor. He invited the Indian side to participate in joint infrastructure projects, including multimodal routes, fiber-optic lines, and regional energy grids. Kazakhstan also expressed its readiness to become a reliable supplier of strategic resources, including energy resources, rare earth metals, and agricultural products within the framework of India's Viksit Bharat (Developed India) initiative. Live Events Tourism was noted as another promising area, with 150,000 Indian tourists visiting Kazakhstan in 2024. Growth was driven by a 14-day visa-free regime and direct flights between Almaty and New Delhi. Kazakhstan also expressed readiness to support the opening of hotels and restaurants serving Indian cuisine in key cities. Nurtleu highlighted Kazakhstan's favorable investment climate, including a new 10-year 'golden visa' for investments over $300,000 and the role of the Astana International Financial Centre as a regional hub. He proposed hosting the next business council session in Kazakhstan, expressing confidence in concrete business outcomes.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Terror, trade in focus as EAM Jaishankar meets Central Asian counterparts
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan ahead of the fourth India-Central Asia Dialogue, which is scheduled for Friday. Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev, and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov all condemned terrorism and supported collaborative efforts to tackle the threat. In a social media post, Jaishankar expressed appreciation for Nurtleu's 'reaffirmation of zero tolerance for terrorism.' He and Muhriddin agreed on the need to 'firmly counter terrorism in our region.' During his meeting with Kulubaev, Jaishankar thanked Kyrgyzstan for its 'support and solidarity in countering terrorism,' and welcomed Meredov's strong condemnation of all forms of terrorism. Alongside security issues, Jaishankar and the ministers discussed ways to enhance trade, investment, connectivity, and cooperation in development and energy. With Nurtleu, Jaishankar reviewed the India-Kazakhstan strategic partnership, including trade and energy ties. 'Also spoke about widening connectivity with the Central Asia region,' the minister said. Talks with Kulubaev also covered cooperation in banking, education, health, energy, and capacity building. Separate cooperation programmes were signed with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Friday's India-Central Asia Dialogue will focus on deepening ties across key areas such as trade, connectivity, technology, and development. The six nations will also exchange views on regional security challenges and broader global issues.
The Star
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
China, Central Asia vow to uphold multilateralism
ALMATY: China and all five of its Central Asian neighbors have reached fresh consensus and made productive action plans for shoring up free trade, building up connectivity and upholding multilateralism, as their senior diplomats met on Saturday (April 26) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for the sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The senior diplomats engaged in in-depth discussions on advancing China-Central Asia cooperation in various aspects. The meeting was expected to pave the way for the second China-Central Asia Summit, which will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, in June. The gathering sent a strong message of renewed unity among the six nations to jointly reject unilateralism and protectionism amid lingering tariff wars and trade wars initiated by Washington, officials said. The China-Central Asia mechanism was launched in 2020, and the first China-Central Asia Summit was held in 2023 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. All members of the mechanism exchanged views on documents to be signed at the upcoming summit, and they vowed further coordination to make the summit a great success, according to a joint statement about the Saturday meeting released by China's Foreign Ministry. While addressing the meeting, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu said, "The upcoming meeting of leaders will open a new milestone of eternal friendship and prosperity." The six countries are "creating all conditions" for the China-Central Asia mechanism to "become a flagship among the mechanisms of (Central Asia Plus)", the newspaper Astana Times quoted Nurtleu as saying. China is Central Asia's top trading partner and a major source of investment. At the meeting, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China will unswervingly advance high-level opening-up and "seek common development with neighboring countries". He noted that the United States has imposed arbitrary tariffs on more than 180 countries, infringing upon their legitimate rights and interests. China has stepped forward and taken necessary countermeasures "not only to defend its own legitimate rights and interests, but also to safeguard international rules and order as well as international fairness and justice", Wang said. Regarding trade and production, the meeting's joint statement said that "the (attending) parties reaffirm their support for multilateralism and the rules of international trade, do not approve of the practice of unilateral protectionism, and will strengthen coordination and form a united position in this regard in order to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests". The six nations welcomed the holding of import and export exhibitions as well as the rolling out of business and investment activities among them. In addition, they underlined the necessity to "strengthen investment cooperation within the framework of the mechanism, expand industrial cooperation, ensure the stability of production and supply chains, and enhance efficiency", the joint statement said. According to China's General Administration of Customs, China's total trade with the five Central Asian countries reached US$77.132 billion in the first ten months of last year. In the first quarter of this year, China's total trade with the five countries increased 6.9 per cent year-on-year, Xinhua News Agency reported on April 18. Han Chunlin, China's ambassador to Kazakhstan, noted recently that China has signed cooperation documents with all five Central Asian countries on co-building the Belt and Road, "setting a benchmark in the global arena". Regarding the joint building of a community with a shared future, Han wrote in an article this month in People's Daily that "China and Central Asian countries respect one another's path of development of independent choice, firmly support one another in core interests related to national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely oppose interference from outside". On behalf of Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang put forward a five-point proposal at the meeting on Saturday for deepening China-Central Asia cooperation. It calls for being firm in upholding good faith and fostering harmony; sticking to mutually beneficial cooperation; further advancing institutional development; adhering to fairness and justice; and being firm in friendship for generations. "All attending parties agreed that China serves as a stabilizing force in a turbulent world and has demonstrated leadership in supporting multilateralism," China's Foreign Ministry said in a news release on Saturday. The five Central Asian countries said they are ready to strengthen the synergy between their national development strategies and the Belt and Road Initiative. The five nations are also ready to further jointly combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, and transnational crime in order to maintain regional peace and stability, according to the nations' diplomats. - China Daily/ANN
