ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 3. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to expanding cooperation with the World Trade Organization (WTO), President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a meeting with the Director General of the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Trend reports.
"Kazakhstan attaches great importance to expanding cooperation with the World Trade Organization. We are confident that, under your leadership, the international multilateral trading system will undergo a profound transformation aimed at eliminating existing trade barriers and creating a level playing field. Your visit to Almaty is extremely important. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you for your close cooperation. It was a great responsibility and honor for Kazakhstan to chair the 12th Ministerial Conference, during which WTO members were able to make important decisions on reforming the Organization," he said.
According to Tokayev, the volume of Kazakhstan’s foreign trade has increased by 53 percent over the past 3 years.
"Despite growing global protectionism and trade restrictions, Kazakhstan is seeking to strengthen its position as an open economy. Currently, our country trades with 180 countries. Over the past 3 years, the volume of Kazakhstan’s foreign trade has increased by 53 percent, reaching $160 billion," he noted.
In turn, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala highly appreciated the contribution that Kazakhstan, as chairman of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, made in making key decisions in the field of international trade.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover was $139.8 billion from January through December 2023, up 3.2 percent from 2022.
At the same time, exports totaled $78.6 billion (in nominal terms, 7 percent less than the same time in 2022), and imports grew by 20.1 percent, totaling $61.1 billion.