Doha: HE Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar Arman Issagaliyev stated that that the working visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, tomorrow Wednesday to the Republic of Kazakhstan, comes in the context of the distinguished bilateral relations built on support and mutual respect between the two friendly countries.

His Excellency stressed, in remarks to Qatar News Agency, that the participation of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit will remarkably increase the significance of this event, given Qatars active role in mediation to resolve international conflicts and disputes, and its constructive position on a number of pressing issues of sustainable development.

His Excellency noted that Qatar possesses tremendous advantages and successful experience in various fields, including economy, politics, and energy, expressing confidence that Qatar, as a dialogue partner state in the SCO, will make a significant co
ntribution to finding the most acceptable solutions according to the organization’s agenda.

He pointed out that Qatar and Kazakhstan work together in many areas on a bilateral basis, highlighting the two historic state visits of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Kazakhstan in 2022, and the visit of HE President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Qatar in February 2024, several agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed between the two countries in various fields.

Both countries signed in March 2024 an agreement to establish a long-term strategic partnership for developing projects in priority sectors. The governments of both countries are now actively working on implementing the agreements reached, including joint projects in the fields of energy, agriculture, and healthcare. To date, Qatari companies have already entered the telecommunications and banking sectors in Kazakhstan, which will contribute to increasing competition and improving service quality. As a next phase of coop
eration, information technology and infrastructure projects could be among the promising areas, given Qatar’s extensive positive experience in these fields. His Excellency believed that the results of the upcoming meeting would provide additional momentum to the entire scope of bilateral relations as part of enhancing the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Qatar.

Regarding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, HE Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar Arman Issagaliyev told QNA that the SCO today is one of the most influential international organizations in mainland Asia. The organization’s nine member states, home to more than 3.5 billion people, account for a quarter of global GDP and more than 15 percent of global trade. Possessing significant political influence, significant economic opportunities and colossal human resources, the SCO is able to make a significant contribution to achieving sustainable development goals and overcoming modern challenges of humanity.

His
Excellency added, “Kazakhstan, as the presiding country in the SCO, will continue to enhance the organizations global role, helping to strengthen friendship and good neighborliness. To this end, we have identified six main priorities for our chairmanship in the organization: ensuring security and stability in the SCO space, expanding trade and economic ties, strengthening energy cooperation, expanding cooperation in the digital sphere, strengthening interaction in the field of ecology, and developing cultural and humanitarian ties.” HE the ambassador added that Kazakhstan intends to continue consolidating international efforts aimed at providing assistance to the Afghan people under the auspices and with the coordinating role of the UN. Astana counts on the support of the SCO in the implementation of the Kazakh initiative to create a UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.

To expand trade and economic relations in the SCO region, His Excellency pointed
out that Kazakhstan proposed to focus on creating favorable conditions for increasing mutual trade turnover, removing existing trade barriers, and launching joint ventures. In order to increase the investment attractiveness of the organization, calling for the use of the Astana International Financial Center to stimulate direct and portfolio investments in SCO regional projects.

He highlighted that Kazakhstan places great importance on developing transportation and implementing regional infrastructure projects within the SCO region and has proposed creating a partnership network of major strategic ports and logistics centers.

In conclusion, His Excellency told QNA that at the upcoming SCO Astana Summit, the member states will agree on and adopt the SCO Energy Strategy, pointing out that an important feature of modern world development is the rapid introduction of digital technologies into all spheres of life, which form the basis of the economy of the future. Therefore, he added, Kazakhstan aims to expand c
ooperation between the SCO countries in the digital sphere, both to systematically reduce the digital divide between different countries and social groups, and to provide favorable conditions for their sustainable economic development. In this regard, Kazakhstan offers its services as a Digital Hub in the SCO space.

Source: Qatar News Agency