Doha, February 13 (QNA) - The relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Kazakhstan have been witnessing steady growth across political, economic, investment, and social spheres, positioning Qatar as one of Kazakhstan's key partners in the Middle East.

The state visit by HE President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the State of Qatar marks a new milestone in the development of the distinguished historical relations between the two friendly countries, paving the way for broader horizons. The State of Qatar views Kazakhstan as a promising strategic partner, given the significant economic potential of both countries, enabling them to enhance cooperation and partnership across various sectors.

HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and HE President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will discuss the distinguished relations between the two countries and the prospects for developing and strengthening them in various fields in a way that achieves the interests of the two countries and their friendly peoples as well as exchanging views on the most prominent regional and international issues and developments of mutual interest.

The visit of HE President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Doha affirms the depth of the brotherly relations between the leaderships of the two countries and their constant keenness to move bilateral relations to promising horizons of cooperation and partnership by increasing the volume of trade exchange and establishing further joint investment projects in all sectors to reach the desired point of serving the desires and ambitions of the two friendly countries.

Diplomatic relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Kazakhstan were first established on July 1, 1993.

The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Astana opened its doors in May 2008, whereas the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Doha opened its doors in May 2007.
Last year, the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.

Relations have been strengthened through a series of mutual visits at the level of leaders and senior officials from both countries. HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani made three visits to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the first of which was in January 2014 on the first official visit.

HH the Amir also made a visit in October 2022 during which His Highness participated in the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) after a kind invitation extended by HE the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In recognition of the prestigious position that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani enjoys by the leadership and people of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as an expression of pride in the strong relations between the two countries and their friendly peoples, HH the Amir was awarded by HE President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev the Order of the Golden Eagle or "Altyn Qyran", the highest order of the Republic of Kazakhstan that is awarded to heads of friendly countries.

HH the Amir also visited the Republic of Kazakhstan in June 2023, during which he participated in the Astana International Forum (AIF) held there.

HE President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Doha to participate in the Qatar Economic Forum in June 2022, while his predecessor HE Former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev visited the State of Qatar in October 2015.

HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was the first Arab leader to visit Astana after its selection as the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan in April 1999.

Qatari-Kazakh relations are set on a number of agreements and memorandums of cooperation in many fields, including the agreement on the encouragement and mutual protection of investments, in addition to memorandums of understanding for cooperation in the field of trade and public health, and the training of diplomatic cadres between the two countries.

Over the course of nearly three decades of close relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Kazakhstan, the two countries have witnessed notable cooperation development, most notably the establishment of the Qatar-Kazakhstan Joint Higher Committee, which had held six successive sessions, the last of which was in Doha last October during which the two sides agreed to take the necessary steps to move ahead towards commercial, investment and industrial cooperation with the aim of increasing the volume of trade exchange and facilitating the flow of goods, services and investments between the two countries. 

Both countries are well located in terms of investment and business climate, proven by many international and local rating agencies, which gives businessmen in both countries the opportunity to enhance cooperation in various fields, especially agriculture, food security supply, education, healthcare, energy, renewable energy, mining, and other vital fields. Qatari investors are interested in investing in the Republic of Kazakhstan as it is a promising destination for foreign investments due to wide investment opportunities.

The Qatar Chamber (QC) encourages Qatari businessmen to explore the investment opportunities available in the country. A group of Qatari companies is also looking into the possibility of participating in the Republic of Kazakhstan's Comprehensive Privatization Plan as well as benefiting from the investment projects proposed in the sectors of agricultural, mining, petrochemical industry, tourism infrastructure, livestock breeding, dairy production, and other vital projects.

The Republic of Kazakhstan is looking forward to benefiting from the great experience that the State of Qatar possesses, especially in the fields of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and petrochemical production. The State of Qatar is one of the largest exporters of LNG in the world and the Republic of Kazakhstan is taking many measures that serve to enhance economic diversification and protect foreign investment. It also seeks to be a commercial, financial, educational, health, and tourism center, as well as excellence in the field of food production.

The State of Qatar was also one of the first countries in the world to provide medical aid to the Republic of Kazakhstan in addressing the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in implementation of the directives of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The State of Qatar has also pumped investments into the Republic of Kazakhstan's economy, especially in the field of infrastructure. The State of Qatar is also considered one of the countries that provide the most aid to the Republic of Kazakhstan. Among the most prominent projects it established are the opening of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani School in September 2018, the maternity hospital project in the Almaty region southern Kazakhstan, and the construction of one of the largest mosques in the capital the Nur-Astana Mosque, renamed later to Abu Nasr Al Farabi Mosque.

The mosque was built based on the initiative of the HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani during his first visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1999. The tourism movement between the two countries is witnessing continuous growth, with the launch of the direct flight between the two countries by Qatar Airways in November 2021, which will contribute to the economy and trade movement between the two countries in the future.

The Republic of Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia with a population of about 19 million people and is the ninth largest country in the world with a total area of 2,717,000 square km, the largest among Islamic countries. The length of the surrounding borders exceeds 12,000 km and it has a border with the Republic of Russia that exceeds 6,800 km, the second longest land border in the world between two countries. The Republic of Kazakhstan overlooks the Caspian Sea with a beach of about 1,900 km.

The country is also full of rivers and lakes, with more than 8,500 rivers and 4,800 lakes. The Republic of Kazakhstan is an important commercial center as it is the largest economy in Central Asia in terms of size and per capita income. It also has ample mineral resources, and according to some estimates, it has oil reserves equivalent to those of Iraq located in deep layers, explaining the delay in exploiting them.

The country has the second-largest reserves of uranium, chromium, lead, and zinc, the third-largest reserves of manganese, and the fifth-largest copper reserves and ranks among the top 10 in the export of coal, iron, and gold. The Republic of Kazakhstan is considered one of the largest global exporters of wheat, where wheat is grown in about 70 percent of its northern lands as well as an active movement for the development of livestock breeding and has millions of heads of sheep. (QNA)