ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 10. More than 13,000 joint ventures with capital from the countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) operate in Kazakhstan, said Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov during a speech at the 16th summit of the ECO in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Trend reports.
As he noted, about 1,800 of them registered in the last year alone.
"Currently, 26 projects worth about $2.7 billion are being implemented with the countries of the Organization in such industries as mechanical engineering, metallurgy, light and chemical industries, construction industry and subsoil use. We invite business partners to jointly implement new high-tech projects," he added.
The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is a regional intergovernmental organization that brings together Asian and Middle Eastern countries to promote economic cooperation, trade and investment development, and to strengthen political and cultural ties among members.
Meanwhile, the previous summit of the organization was held in Ashgabat in November 2021.
Kazakhstan’s foreign trade turnover in 2022 reached a historically high level of $134.4 billion. The trade surplus amounted to $34.3 billion, which is 82 percent better than in 2021 and four times more than in 2020.
Export volumes amounted to $84.4 billion. By 2021, foreign sales volumes had increased by 40 percent, and by 2020, they had increased by 78 percent.
Import volumes to Kazakhstan reached $50 billion for the first time, updating the 2013 record ($48.8 billion).