-17° / -27°C WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020 No 2 (188) www.astanatimes.com President promotes stronger Digital Kazakhstan economic ties on visit to UAE programme created Tokayev was also expected to meet during the trip with Emirati Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Moham- 8,000 jobs in 2019 med bin Rashid Al Maktoum. and more than 9.8 million services On the first day of the visit, To- By Aidana Yergaliyeva were provided in 2019 in the social kayev also toured the Dubai Inter- labour sphere. The digital projects national Financial Centre (DIFC) NUR-SULTAN – Digital Ka- saved employers and job seekers and met with the Emirati business zakhstan programme helped cre- 862.2 million tenge (US$2.27 mil- community. ate 8,000 jobs last year, with the lion). “We have an ambitious plan to programme’s total economic ef- Digitising public services has implement joint investment pro- fect exceeding 600 billion tenge reduced paperwork by 70.8 mil- jects worth $11 billion,” the Presi- (US$1.58 billion) for 2018 and lion documents and provided an dent said at a meeting with the 2019. The digital technologies indirect economic effect of more business community. “At present, brought noticeable improvements than 8.4 billion tenge (US$22.16 we are negotiating with the invest- in the public services, education, million). ment company Mubadala on the healthcare, financial, transport, The vast majority of the coun- implementation of a project worth mining and metallurgical sectors. try’s 18.6 million population have $6.6 billion for the construction of “Digitisation can become an en- regional electronic health pass- a petrochemical complex for the gine of the national economy and a ports. In hospitals, 97.5 percent production of polypropylene in generator of permanent jobs,” said of healthcare organisations are Atyrau Region.” a statement from the prime minis- equipped with computers and con- “Our joint project can be a good ter’s press service. nected to the Internet. example of the fact that Kazakh- The programme has digitised stan’s economy pays great atten- 80.2 percent of public services Continued on Page A4 Photo credit: akorda.kz Photo credit: tion to the processing industry and L-R: Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed. industrial development,” he added. “The AIFC will become the venue for the IPO (initial public “The history of relations be- [there’s] the Abu Dhabi Plaza offering) of our largest state stra- By Aidana Yergaliyeva tween the two countries has deep complex under construction in the tegic assets, such as the national UAE, Kazakhstan have roots. We are connected by true city of Nur-Sultan,” said Tokayev. oil and gas company, railways, tel- NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Presi- friendship, mutual understanding The meeting ended with exchang- ecommunications companies, etc. dent Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and trust. Therefore, our relation- es of signed documents. The Kazakh We invite both corporations and and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi ship has great prospects. The main Ministry of Energy and UAE Minis- welfare funds, such as the Abu- unique cooperation Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al purpose of my visit is to give a try of Energy and Industry inked a Dhabi Investment Authority and Nahyan discussed bilateral rela- new impetus to the cooperation of memorandum of understanding and Mubadala, to participate in the pri- tions and economic cooperation the two states. We have achieved cooperation in the petrochemical vatisation programme,” Tokayev between Kazakhstan and the Unit- great success, but we must not industry. The Kazakh Ministry of said. opportunities, says envoy ed Arab Emirates during President stand still, we must move forward. Trade and the Emirati Ministry of According to him, investment gave a positive impetus to bilateral Tokayev’s Jan. 27-28 first presi- I attach particular importance to Economy signed a memorandum of proposals worth nearly $40 billion By Galiya Khassenkhanova relations,” he said. Kazakhstan, dential visit to Abu Dhabi. this visit and have high hopes for understanding. The Astana Interna- have been developed in the mining likewise, included the UAE in the Both leaders acknowledged the it,” Tokayev said. tional Financial Centre’s (AIFC’s) industry, metallurgy, petrochemi- NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and list of countries whose citizens en- positive state of relations and a de- The leaders discussed coopera- Committee on financial regulation cals, agriculture, logistics, tourism the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joy a one-month visa free travel to sire to continue them. tion in the petrochemicals, agricul- services and the Emirati Central and other industries. have unique opportunities for co- the Central Asian nation. “At present, bilateral relations ture, transport and logistics, finan- Bank also signed memorandum of From January to November operation, said UAE Ambassador to Converging cooperation ap- between our countries are develop- cial and investment sectors. understanding. 2019, mutual trade turnover in- Kazakhstan Mohamed Ahmed bin proaches create unique opportunities ing at a high level. The UAE gives “Our trade and economic rela- Tokayev also stressed that both creased 10.3 percent year-on-year Sultan Al Jaber in an exclusive in- for mutually beneficial joint projects particular importance to strength- tions and cultural and humani- countries have an important histor- and totalled $500 million, the terview with The Astana Times. in fields such as construction, chem- ening cooperation with Kazakh- tarian cooperation are actively ical frontier in 2021. Kazakhstan President said. The direct invest- Kazakh and UAE diplomatic re- istry, transportation and logistics, stan. The cooperation between our developing. Entrepreneurs of our will celebrate the 30 years of its ments from the UAE to Kazakh- lations have been growing at a dy- railway, engineering and space. countries covers a wide range of countries also actively cooperate. independence, while the Emirates stan reached $2.1 billion, while in- namic pace since being established The largest bilateral construc- directions,” Al Nahyan said, re- To date, about 350 joint ventures will prepare festivities for its 50th vestments from Kazakhstan to the in 1992. The countries continue to tion investment project is the $1.2 ported akorda.kz. have been created. For example, anniversary. UAE reached $1 billion. build close and trusting relations billion Abu Dhabi Plaza multi- through mutually beneficial bilat- functional complex in the capital. eral cooperation. Contacts are being developed with “Undoubtedly, the dynamics of Mubadala (UAE state investment meetings at the highest level tes- and development company), the tify to an unprecedented interac- National Corporation for Nuclear Tokayev calls for a new economic course tion from the perspective of inter- Energy and Dubai International national relations, thanks to which Financial Centre. By Zhanna Shayakhmetova cooperation between Kazakhstan The breakthrough chemical pro- and the UAE is moving forward. ject is constructing an integrated NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Presi- For its part, the UAE Embassy is gas chemical complex (IGCC) dent Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has making efforts to maintain close and polypropylene plant in the called for a new economic course contacts and to coordinate coop- National Industrial Petrochemical and instructed the government, his eration. An important milestone Technopark special economic zone administration and the Atameken in bilateral relations is the estab- (SEZ) in the Atyrau Region, a testa- National Chamber of Entrepre- lishment of a one-month visa free ment to the long-term nature of the neurs at a Jan. 24 expanded gov- regime for Kazakh citizens travel- partnership. ernment meeting to develop an ling to the Emirates. It certainly Continued on Page A3 economic reform programme by May 15. The government and Kazakh Parliament have adopted pro- grammes to achieve the macroeco- nomic goals set out in President Abai’s 175th anniversary Tokayev’s election campaign plat- form and his state-to-the-nation address. But many details con- cerning how to achieve economic to be celebrated growth across sectors remain un- der discussion. “We have to improve our legis- lation and regulation based on best throughout 2020 international practices, in particu- to develop culture and sports for lar, the Organisation for Economic Press. Akorda Photo credit: By Galiya Khassenkhanova 2020-2022, of which 120.1 billion Co-operation and Development tenge (US$319 million) is allotted (OECD) in all areas from health- 2025 and the Plan of the Nation of The government is set to build the President. The development NUR-SULTAN – The Central for 2020. Nearly four billion tenge care to financial markets,” said 100 Concrete Steps. a transparent fiscal and industrial of entrepreneurship and the Communications Service held a (US$10.6 million) will be spent on Tokayev. “We need a new economic policy to protect entrepreneurs, to strengthening of mechanisms to briefing Jan. 16 outlining prepara- the Abai celebration and 1,150th Lending stagnated as the loan course to see clearly the key prob- provide access to sales markets, to strengthen competition protec- tions for poet Abai Kunanbayev’s anniversary of Al-Farabi, the phi- portfolio to gross domestic prod- lems and methods to solve them. increase the productivity of enter- tions are essential. 175th anniversary, reported the Min- losopher who lived on the territory uct (GDP) decreased from 23 to 22 Reforms, as is known, require will prises and competitiveness and to During the government meet- istry of Culture and Sport website. of modern Kazakhstan in the ninth percent in 2019. The country also and decisiveness. This is what I increase the quality of domestic ing, the President also set the task The 82-point plan was approved and tenth centuries. observed the highest level of infla- ask of the government. For the products. to establish the Centre for Analy- in 2019, noted Vice Minister Nur- The yearlong celebrations offi- tion in the Eurasian Economic Un- time being, however, the decisions The head of state noted that the sis and Monitoring of Socio-Eco- gisa Dauyeshov.