President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed gratitude to Rumen Radev for accepting the invitation to visit Kazakhstan on an official visit.
– Bulgaria is an important and reliable partner of Kazakhstan in Southeast Europe. Our cooperation is based on strong bonds of friendship and mutual understanding. We regard Bulgaria as a strategically important partner and attach great importance to the further development of relations with your country. Last week marked 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our states. Your visit to Kazakhstan coincides with this significant milestone. Over this period, Astana and Sofia have established an active political dialogue at all levels, grounded in mutual trust. A solid contractual and legal framework has been created, and ties in trade, economic, and investment spheres are strengthening, – emphasized the President.
The Kazakh President noted that among the various ethnic groups living in peace and harmony in our country, Bulgarians play a special role in strengthening relations between our peoples. According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan and Bulgaria cooperate fruitfully within international organizations, and comprehensive and reliable partnership will continue to develop dynamically.
He also stated that the negotiations were substantive, resulting in several concrete agreements.
– In particular, we paid special attention to expanding trade, economic, and investment ties between Kazakhstan and Bulgaria. The growth in bilateral trade turnover is a positive trend. Over 60 Bulgarian companies are successfully operating in various sectors in our country. Therefore, there is a good opportunity to further increase this figure. President Radev and I agreed to increase the volume of mutual trade and to develop new investment projects on a mutually beneficial basis. We emphasized the particular importance of implementing joint initiatives in the fields of oil and gas, renewable energy sources, green energy, nuclear industry, digitalization, innovations, artificial intelligence, space industry, agriculture, healthcare, cultural-humanitarian ties, and tourism, – said the President.
The relevance of cooperation in the transport and logistics sector was also noted. The parties agreed to explore the possibility of integrating the Bulgarian ports of Burgas and Varna into the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor project, which has already become one of the most important strategic trade routes. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes that to enhance activities in this direction, it is necessary to effectively utilize the mechanisms of the Kazakh-Bulgarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation. He proposed establishing a joint working group on transport and logistics cooperation within the Commission.
– We are interested in studying Bulgaria’s advanced experience in space research and technologies, defense industry, and collaborating in these areas. The Bulgarian delegation includes prominent Bulgarian business representatives. A business forum will be held today, during which several commercial documents are expected to be signed. President Radev and I will participate in the forum, which underscores the special attention given to the development of bilateral cooperation. Kazakhstan is ready to create the most favorable conditions for Bulgarian companies wishing to operate in our market. I proposed establishing a Kazakh-Bulgarian Business Council to strengthen ties between our business communities, – stated the President.
The parties agreed to develop cultural-humanitarian, educational, and interregional ties. In 2018, one of the streets in Sofia was named after Astana, and a street in our capital will soon be named in honor of Sofia. Overall, according to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the negotiations were successful, and the implementation of the important documents signed as a result will provide a good opportunity for further deepening bilateral relations.
The President of Kazakhstan reported that he discussed current regional and global agenda issues with his Bulgarian counterpart.
– Our positions on many global issues align. Supporting each other’s initiatives has become a good tradition. Our cooperation in multilateral structures is developing successfully. I expressed gratitude to the Bulgarian side and President Radev for supporting Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish a UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. Current geopolitical conflicts in the world are a cause for concern for our countries. We are convinced that all issues should be resolved peacefully and through political-diplomatic means. We attach special importance to the further development of multilateral diplomacy. We agreed to continue combining efforts and cooperating at the international level, as well as actively participating in strengthening peace and stability. I expect that President Radev’s visit to our country will provide a new impetus to the expansion of bilateral ties, – emphasized Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
In turn, the President of Bulgaria noted that the parties conducted a thorough analysis of interstate relations in all areas of mutual interest. According to him, there is currently significant potential for strengthening cooperation.
– I am confident that today’s negotiations will provide a new impetus to bilateral cooperation. The signed Memorandum on the further development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor embodies our aspirations. We must maximize the strategic geographical positions of Kazakhstan and Bulgaria along this route, which connects Asia with Europe. Moreover, we have immense opportunities not only in cargo transportation, energy, and digitalization but also in expanding our cultural ties, – said Rumen Radev.
