AIFC Governor to QNA: Qatar is Significant Political, Economic Ally of Kazakhstan

Astana, October 12 (QNA) - The Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Dr. Kairat Kelimbetov said that Qatar is a significant political and economic ally of Kazakhstan and one of its key partners in the Gulf region. In his exclusive remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he added that the current state visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the Republic of Kazakhstan represents a significant event and an opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in various fields, especially the trade and investment. He pointed out to the similarities in the economic structure of the two countries, which calls for more integration and cooperation. He went on to say: "Undoubtedly, this visit will have a significant impact on improving the business relations between Kazakhstan and Qatar and will bring our bilateral partnership to a qualitatively new level in the coming years," pointing out that the strong relations between the two countries will lead to powerful strategic alliances. AIFC Governor noted that both countries are well situated and attractive in terms of investment and business climate, which is proven by many domestic and internationally recognized rating agencies and multinational organizations. He added that there is an opportunity to sign many agreements and memoranda of understanding between Kazakh businessmen and their Qatari counterparts to enhance cooperation in various fields, especially agriculture, education, healthcare, energy, renewables, mining, and other vital fields. He stressed that AIFC is proud of the growing cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Kazakhstan. He praised the Qatari financial and banking institutions for their active contributions to creating and developing the AIFC over the past six years under the institutional auspices of the Central Bank of Qatar (QCB), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), and the Ministry of Finance of Qatar. Dr. Kairat Kelimbetov welcomed the activities in cooperation with the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), the Qatar Stock Exchange, and other institutions. He explained that the AIFC is interested in deepening cooperation with the Qatari business and its actors, and in this regard, the AIFC and respective Qatari financial organizations signed fundamental documents from 2015 to the present. He stressed that the AIFC is ready to provide the Qatari banks and investors with services and solutions to expand not only into Kazakhstan, but also in the whole region of Central Asia and beyond. He noted that the Central Asian countries are promising markets for both Islamic Finance and conventional banking, offering opportunities for the Qatar financial institutions. The Kazakh official said that there are transregional relationships between the AIFC and the QFC that may grow and include similar institutions in other countries, such as Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia with a common goal to build an international financial centers bridge from Doha through Istanbul, Islamabad, and Astana to Kuala Lumpur. He said: "This initiative was launched by the QFC, and we wholeheartedly support it." He also pointed out that both Kazakhstan and Qatar have economies of comparative advantage in the development of oil and gas industries and in the investment into the added value lines of productions like chemicals and decarbonized energy sources, in addition to industries that complement each other. The Republic of Kazakhstan has agriculture and food security delivering opportunities that the serve the needs of Qatar and open opportunities for Qatari investors, thus strengthening partnerships and mutual benefit. He added that the leaders of both countries are looking forward to launching new horizons by setting up investment projects in many promising sectors He said: "I hope that with this state visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Astana, the relationship between Kazakhstan and Qatar will develop more rapidly." (QNA)