Kazakhstan, Astana, Oct. 3 /Trend D.Mukhtarov/
As of late 2012, Turkey became a top 10 major trade partner of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies Erlan Hairov said on Thursday in Astana.
"According to results of 2012, Turkey has now entered the top 10 major trade partners of Kazakhstan, overtaking Germany, the U.S., Japan and Korea," Erlan Hairov said, speaking at the Kazakh-Turkish business forum.
According to him, as of late 2012 the trade turnover between the two countries amounts to $4 billion. The heads of the two states have set a task to raise this figure to $10 billion, he said.
"The volume of Turkish investments in Kazakhstan's economy is about $2 billion and the amount of investment from Kazakhstan is about $500 million. I think that with the permission for investment in real estate that was adopted recently in Turkey, the flow of investments from Kazakhstan will expand," Hairov said.
He urged Turkish businessmen to build new enterprises in Kazakhstan to expand cooperation.
"The main export commodity from Kazakhstan is raw materials. I suggest Turkish companies not to export raw materials, but process them here and especially with the creation of the Customs Union, a large market with a population of 180 million has been opened up for business," the committee head said.