5th Session of the Joint Interministerial Committee for Economic and Technological Cooperation between Greece and Kazakhstan (Astana, 19.10.2022)

The next steps for the strengthening and deepening of bilateral relations between Greece and Kazakhstan in critical areas of common interest were defined, during the 5th Meeting of the Joint Interministerial Committee for Economic and Technological Cooperation between Greece and Kazakhstan, held in Astana on Wednesday 19 October 2022.

Sending a resounding message regarding the two sides’ will to enhance bilateral relations in the fields of trade, economy, agricultural cooperation, energy, infrastructure, road, maritime and air transport, tourism, culture and education, this year’s meeting of the Committee coincided with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Greece and Kazakhstan, with both countries represented at ministerial level.

The Greek delegation was headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis, who signed the Protocol of the 5th Joint Interministerial Committee, together with the co-chairman from the Kazakh side, Vice Minister of Culture and Sports Yerzhan Yerkinbayev.

The Minister of Rural Development and Food, George Georgantas, and the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Papadopoulos, also participated in the delegation. From the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, participated General Secretary for Agricultural Policy and International Relations Konstantinos Baginetas, as did Christos Tsitouras, Governor of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

The Committee focused especially on increasing agricultural product exports, primarily cereals from Kazakhstan to Greece and olive oil from Greece to Kazakhstan.

In the transport sector, the prospect of using Greece’s railway network to connect Kazakhstan with the EU via the Orient East Mediterranean Corridor of the TEN-T and the Middle Corridor connecting China with the EU was also discussed.

The Kazakh side expressed a strong interest in Greece as a tourist destination. Following the launch of the direct air connection between Almaty and Heraklion, Crete, by Air Astana on June 1st 2022, proospects for more direct air links between the two countries were discussed.

The two sides also held discussions on the prospects for cooperation in the energy and RES sector as well as in the construction sector, which offers great opportunities for Greek companies.

The members of the Delegation participated also in the annual Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable (KGIR-2022), during which they held bilateral meetings with their counterparts.

Mr. Fragogiannis met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for International Economic Relations, Almas Aidarov, with whom he discussed investment opportunities in Greece and Kazakhstan. On behalf of ENTERPRISE GREECE, the Deputy Minister signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with KAZAKH INVEST, Kazakhstan’s respective entity. On the Kazakh side the Memorandum was signed by Meirzhan Yussupov, President of the entity.

Minister of Rural Development and Food Mr. Georgantas met with Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Karashukeyev and Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Mr. Papadopoulos met with Kazakh Deputy Minister of Industry and Development of Infrastructures Iran Sharkhan. During the bilateral contacts, respective Letters of Intent were signed to promote individual cooperation between the Ministries.   

Upon conclusion of their meetings in the capital of Kazakhstan, the Ministers expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral relations and the prospects for strengthening economic cooperation between Greece and the dynamic and growing economy of the Central Asian country.