Kazakhstan, Astana, April 23 /Trend D.Mukhtarov/
The Kazakh Foreign Ministry plans to develop a plan to develop an Asian vector in its foreign policy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Kazykhanov said.
"We will develop the conceptual approaches and practical measures to promote the Asian vector," he said, speaking during government hour in the Kazakh Parliament.
Kazykhanov noted that Kazakhstan is at a qualitatively high level of development of relations with all strategic partners: Russia, China, USA, Central Asian States and the European Union.
"The allied relations with Russia today are characterized by sequential development of the Eurasian economic integration, cooperation within the CSTO, the expansion of trade. Our trade with Russia reached $23 billion last year for the first time. We will continue to work together in the oil and gas sector, on use of transboundary water resources, in the cosmos, the nuclear industry and many others in the future," the minister said.
Kazykhanov added that the development of comprehensive strategic partnership with China remains an important priority.
"We are interested in the Chinese market. We need to diversify exports to China. We are working on the involvement of leading Chinese companies to implement a program of industrial-innovative development, the creation of joint ventures in order to establish import-substituting industries in Kazakhstan," Kazykhanov said.
According to Kazykhanov, joint activities in energy, small and medium business and IT remain vital as part of a strategic partnership with the U.S.
Kazakhstan is interested in a partnership with leading U.S corporations to push for hte industrialization and diversification of the Kazakh economy, agriculture, science and education.
"An important theme is cooperation to stabilize Afghanistan, in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," the minister said.