More than 20 Kazakh companies in food production, metallurgy and metalworking, IT services, chemical, construction, and engineering industries, and over 100 Azerbaijan entrepreneurs attended the event. They held business-to-business (B2B) negotiations.

According to Kazakh Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebayev, B2B meetings strengthen trade and economic cooperation between countries.

“Kazakh entrepreneurs are interested in Azerbaijan’s market. However, the potential of our mutual trade is still not used even half. Markets of both countries have mutual demand for cooperation. We can develop the markets of third countries. Moreover, important international transport corridors pass through our territories,” said Torebayev.

Last year, the bilateral trade turnover reached $461.9 million, 39 percent higher than in the same period of the previous year ($332.2 million). 

The Kazakh exports to Azerbaijan in the reporting period increased by 30.4 percent to $375.3 million, driven by a surge in the supply of crude oil, wheat, oil products, rails, cargo, passenger ships, and ferries. 

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The sides intend to consider and study possibility of cooperation in construction and operation of wind farms in Kyrgyzstan.

“Our country has a big potential in electricity generation. I am convinced that development of wind energy projects will not only diversify national energy portfolio and will enhance reliability of electricity supplies, but will also increase tax receipts for the budget and create new work places. I am confident our cooperation will allow to use natural resources for the benefit of our country and its people,” Minister Talaibek Ibraev said.

Director General of NovaWind JSC Grigory Nazarov said despite external restrictions, cooperation with friendly countries keeps growing.

“The signed agreement paves the way for new prospects for wind energy projects. We have a big experience in construction and operation of wind farms. 7 wind farms successfully operate in 3 regions in the south of Russia already. Emergence of wind farms in Kyrgyzstan will not only enhance reliability of electricity supplies in the region and improve its quality, but will also make contribution into increase of green energy share. Hopefully, our cooperation will be successful,” Grigory Nazarov said.

NovaWnd JSC is wind energy division of Rosatom Corporation. The company was founded in September 2017.

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“More than 200,000 people play chess in the country. This figure should at least double with the help of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and FIDE. Chess will see significant growth in the country,” said Tokayev.

The President congratulated Ding on becoming the world champion in a close chess battle and expressed his respect to Nepomniachtchi for his mastery.

China’s grandmaster Ding thanked Tokayev for the invitation.

“We are very pleased to meet you. I am thrilled to win and participate in this tournament. I enjoyed the game a lot,” he said.

Russia’s grandmaster Nepomniachtchi noted the great interest in chess in Kazakhstan.

“I thank the organizers of the match, and thank the country. I see that the country’s interest in chess is constantly growing. With the new leadership of the federation, you are moving in the right direction,” he said.

Dvorkovich expressed gratitude to the Kazakh President for the warm welcome, noting the effective development of chess due to state support and financial assistance.

“Over the past seven months, Kazakhstan held five world championships. We see the popularity of chess in Kazakhstan. The numbers are impressive and will be even higher,” said Dvorkovich.

“I thank the organizers of the match, and thank the country. I see that the country’s interest in chess is constantly growing. With the new leadership of the federation, you are moving in the right direction,” he said.

Dvorkovich expressed gratitude to the Kazakh President for the warm welcome, noting the effective development of chess due to state support and financial assistance.

“Over the past seven months, Kazakhstan held five world championships. We see the popularity of chess in Kazakhstan. The numbers are impressive and will be even higher,” said Dvorkovich.

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Blinken asserted the U.S. looks forward to seeing the additional concrete steps Kazakhstan will take to realize new reforms, adding that these reforms are an important reason why foreign investors, including Americans, are turning to Kazakhstan. He noted that American businesses were among the first to invest in the Kazakh economy, injecting more than $50 billion since 1991.

The U.S.- Kazakh bilateral trade turnover exceeded $3 billion in 2022, up 37.2 percent from the previous year, according to the Kazakh statistics. The total inflow of foreign direct investments from the U.S. to Kazakhstan exceeded $62 billion, with the volume of American investments increasing by 58.8 percent in the first three quarters of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

“We are eager to bolster our economic cooperation, not only to strengthen the development and opportunity within Kazakhstan but also to strengthen linkages across Central Asia, promoting the diversification of energy and export, among other investments that will benefit Kazakhstan’s people in very tangible ways,” Blinken said. 

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi stressed that cooperation with the U.S. is developing in the spirit of an enhanced strategic partnership, as demonstrated by the revival of political dialogue, as well as trade, economic, and investment cooperation. 

The sides also addressed the economic spillover effect of the sanctions imposed on Russia, which affected the economies of Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan. Blinken stated the U.S. is conscious of the spillover consequences and is doing everything possible to mitigate them and create new opportunities for partners in Central Asia. 

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The participants exchanged experience and knowledge in key areas of healthcare organizations. Both countries face similar challenges in balancing healthcare needs with the growing costs and complexity of innovative treatment options and working on solutions to address the unmet needs of patients using innovative medical technologies.

The organizers plan to host such events annually to facilitate commercial engagement and showcase both countries’ potential to investors from both countries.

“Sweden is already involved in medical and digital healthcare projects in Kazakhstan. With the signing of a memorandum between Kazakh Мinistry of Healthcare and AstraZeneca on long-term cooperation in pharmaceuticals and healthcare in February this year, Swedish business will also become an investor in the all-important local pharmaceutical industry,” reads the press statement. 

The Swedish side invited their Kazakh counterparts for a week-long program on digital healthcare and rural healthcare hosted by the World Health Organization and the Swedish government. 

According to the Ambassador of Sweden in Kazakhstan Ewa Ulrika Polano, bilateral diplomatic relations, which have been developing for over 30 years, reflect strong friendship ties and cooperation in many areas. 

“I am extra proud to inform that during the last year, we have seen a strong development in the bilateral exchange with Kazakhstan in healthcare. Today’s knowledge-sharing seminar on the future of healthcare is an excellent example. The projects and program we are now initiating will culminate in an essential visit to Sweden by the Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Azhar Giniyat,” she said.

According to General Manager at AstraZeneca Kazakhstan Alexander Tarishkin, AstraZeneca is a great example of Kazakh-Swedish cooperation in health issues, seeking to improve access to innovative methods of diagnostics and treatment for patients in both countries.

“Localization projects in Kazakhstan, the introduction of modern diagnostic and therapeutic methods into clinical practice, and digitalization of healthcare are priority tasks for us in this context,” he said

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The DAR University (DAR U) is focused on education, research, and internal process automation and offers a hybrid form of learning. The university offers education in seven areas, including Java, Web, UI/UX, Business Analysis, Project and Product Management, and Digital Marketing.

“We are creating an ecosystem by combining our projects. We have been working on these projects since 2016 and we are now ready to share our products and experience. At the same, we are creating a culture that reflects our core values – human capital and community development. Our products are designed by local IT specialists and made for local businesses,” Founder of DAR Alidar Utemuratov said in an interview for this story. 

Since 2016, the university has trained more than 500 specialists. Most of the students are involved in creating the company’s products. In 2022, more than 1,300 people completed express courses. 

In addition, the company is promoting its 5Qit and 5Qbe platforms to the market. 5Qit is a platform for business management that replaces multiple technologies and provides opportunities for entrepreneurs to oversee their operations remotely using a mobile app. The system is available in Kazakh, Russian and English languages. The app helps to track team performance from any part of the world.

5Qbe is a multimedia platform for creators to share their knowledge and earn from their expertise. The users can also expand their audience and build a community. The easy-to-use platform enables creation of video lessons using different formats.

“We develop solutions which are unique and add tangible value to the SME sector. We provide the tech innovations that are available to big businesses and make them affordable for small companies leveling the playing field for all. We are proud that all our products are proprietary, developed entirely by our own programmers and experts without having to outsource any part of the process,” he said.

“Our goal is to provide consumers as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, with tools for faster and more flexible growth. This coupled with the development of the education sector ultimately leads  to a high-skill-high-wage model and a stronger economy,” Utemuratov said.

The company is also involved in sports promotion, with Utemuratov being the founder of NAIZA and more recently through the launch of NAIZA TV, a Mixed Martial Arts media production and online streaming service.

Utemuratov and his company seek to expand their business into Indonesia and some European countries. 

“We have worked in Indonesia before. The launch of DAR U is an opportunity to bring Kazakh products to the fast-growing consumer market of ASEAN countries. We also intend to enter the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), the Middle East and North Africa. Globally, we want all our projects to raise interest in markets around the world. We want to become Kazakhstan’s project that will have its own presence among the global players in this area,” he said.

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As a visiting professor at the Almaty-based Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU), Akkari has been to Kazakhstan three times – in 2018, 2019, and 2020 within academic exchanges with KazNU to develop joint research projects and hold educational seminars. His research interests are centered on intercultural education, teacher training, and reforms of education systems in a comparative and international perspective. 

“Academic exchange programs allow us to develop academic and intercultural skills. The cooperation between Kazakhstan and Switzerland is focused on internationalization of curriculum, research, and mobility. I hope we will also be able to get a big project funded by the European Union or other organizations,” said the professor. 

Comparing Kazakh and Swiss education systems, he noted that “Kazakhstan and Switzerland are facing common challenges, including multilingualism, interculturality, employability, and the impact of digitalization.” 

“In more than 30 years, the university system of Kazakhstan has undergone many changes, including internationalization and development of private universities. There are conditions for improving the quality of higher education like a good level of infrastructure, the commitment of stakeholders and the government of Kazakhstan. The country has increased its support for higher educational institutions and international mobility of professors and students,” said Akkari. 

“I think there are also challenges to be met, for example, the funding of higher education, the lack of equity, the development of research, and the significance of strengthening research policies and scientific production,” he added. 

Speaking about the importance of research capacity, Akkari said that “the development of scientific production of Kazakh universities is a long-term task because it requires a lot of human and financial resources.”

“It is ultimately about changing the mindset of Kazakh academics so that research and publication become natural activities and not just tied to the institutional requirements of universities. I believe that more innovations are needed in research and teaching,” said Akkari. 

He also mentioned the well-developed internationalization of the Swiss higher education system, referring to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2023 and the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report 2019.  

“The QS thirteenth edition has identified the world’s best university offerings for 54 academic disciplines. A total of 32 Swiss university programs are among the top ten in the world for their respective disciplines,” he noted. 

“On the one hand, we see that the best universities are concentrated in the United States, in the United Kingdom, and in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The ranking of Chinese universities is improving rapidly. On the other hand, when we relate these university rankings to the size of the country, interesting facts appear. For example, the higher education system in Switzerland, which is less known at the international level, is described as excellent,” he said. 

The best higher education system, in his opinion, is “the one that contributes the most to the socio-economic development and prosperity of a country.” 

“It is a system accessible to all social categories and especially the most disadvantaged. It is also a system that equips graduates with the skills needed in the 21st century and allows them to access a qualifying job. In short, the best university is the one that creates useful knowledge for society and humanity,” said Akkari. 

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