OREANDA-NEWS. On December 14, 2007 representatives of more than 100 Kazakhstani and 80 Turkish companies working in energy, telecommunications, transport, metallurgy, construction and other areas important to the economy of our country took part in the work of the forum, reported the Official website www.akorda.kz.

Opening the forum, President Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that entrepreneurs from the two countries gathered in order to discuss issues of developing trade economic cooperation.

Kazakhstan’s President said this year the volume of bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Turkey has reached 1,5 billion dollars already, and will increase up to 2 billion dollars by the end of this year. In addition, the governments and representatives of the business communities of the two countries have all preconditions to raise the volume of mutual trade up to 5 billion dollars by 2010.

Last week, the governments of Turkey and Kazakhstan signed a Program for long-term economic cooperation, and also an Action Plan for its implementation for 2008-2009. This document assists to interaction between the private sectors of the two countries.

Kazakhstan conducts its policy for industrial innovative development. In this regard, Kazakhstan is interested in attracting investments in agriculture, chemical, heavy and textile industries, railroads and motorways, carbohydrates transportation.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul emphasized that Kazakhstan is a major partner to Turkey in Central Asia. At the present time, the volume of Turkish investments in Kazakhstan’s economy has exceeded 1 billion dollars; however, this does not correspond to the potential of the country’s economy. In this regard, the Turkish government intends to stimulate investing in Kazakhstan’s economy. On its turn, Turkey greets the presence of Kazakhstani investments in the refinery, petrochemical and financial sectors of Turkey’s economy. Currently, 180 joint enterprises successfully work in these areas.

President Abdullah Gul also said that the construction of the Kars-Tbilisi-Ahalkalaki railroad, which is very important to the development of the Kazakhstani transit potential, had been initiated. Abdullah Gul invited Kazakhstani businessmen to consider possibilities for their participation in the project.

The Heads of State expressed their confidence that the meeting between representatives of business will promote the further development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkey.