Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.16
By Nargiz Sadikhova – Trend:
In the private sector, the German Federal Government provides several means to support cooperation between German small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and Kazakh companies, a spokesperson of the German Federal Foreign Office told Trend.
According to the spokesperson, support of visits of German business delegations to Kazakhstan and support to the Delegation of the German Economy for Central Asia, headquartered in Kazakhstan, are part of the German-Kazakh business relations.
The spokesperson noted, that Kazakhstan is by far Germany’s most important trading partner in Central Asia. According to the information of German Federal Foreign Office, trade between the two countries reached a total of over five billion euros in 2018.
Kazakhstan’s main exports to Germany are oil, iron and steel goods as well as chemical products. Kazakhstan is Germany’s fourth-largest supplier of oil. German exports to Kazakhstan machinery, electrical equipment, chemical products, cars and car parts as well as pharmaceutical products.
“A Delegation of German Economy for Central Asia in Almaty oversees German companies’ business activities in Kazakhstan and the other Central Asian countries and helps local firms establish business contacts with Germany. Around 100 German representative offices and branches have joined the German Business Association in the Republic of Kazakhstan. In total, there are more than 200 German companies operating in Kazakhstan. Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) has an office in Almaty,” the report said.
Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) provides market research and analysis on business opportunities for German companies interested in doing business in Kazakhstan, the spokesperson said.
Furthermore, the spokesperson noted, that close bilateral ties between Germany and Kazakhstan and the desire for an even closer cooperation are demonstrated by the numerous high‑level visits, such as the recent meeting of foreign ministers in Berlin.
“The large number of ethnic Germans in Kazakhstan provides a special link between the two countries. Representatives of both governments meet regularly on a wide array of issues: Cooperation between Germany and Kazakhstan focuses on questions of governance, rule of law, sustainable economic development, the environment – including disaster prevention - and energy efficiency,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also drew attention that together with all states of Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Germany initiated the “Berlin process” on water management in the region.
“The German‑Kazakh University, established in 1999, offers a Master’s program in ‘Integrated Water Resources Management’, which is funded by the Federal Foreign Office in cooperation with Free University Berlin. This study program is part of our joint effort in the region to tackle the consequences of climate change and water scarcity - one of the key issues in our bilateral cooperation,” the source concluded.
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