During the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed his confidence that the official visit of the Japanese leader to Astana will give a powerful impetus to bringing the relations between Kazakhstan and Japan to a new level.
“Kazakhstan and Japan are distant neighbors, but very close friends. Comprehensive development of relations with your country is one of the most important foreign policy priorities since the early days of Kazakhstan’s independence. We always support each other. We are allies in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation,” he said.
In addition, the President focused on major aspects of development in trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.
“During the years 2013-2014, trade turnover between the countries amounted to about $2 billion, and in the first half of 2015 it reached $600 million. Over the past 10 years, Japanese investment in the economy of Kazakhstan amounted to about $5 billion. A number of major Japanese companies are actively working in Kazakhstan. Fifty joint ventures are functioning, six joint projects worth more than US $700 million have been accomplished, and another 10 projects are underway. I am confident that the entry into force from October 25 of the bilateral agreement on encouragement of mutual protection of investments will significantly strengthen the legal basis of our relations,” he said.
Shinzo Abe, in turn, noted that Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO significantly expands the possibilities for the implementation of large joint investment projects and cooperation in general.
