 The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk and his wife, Barbara Mikliè Türk, have arrived on an official visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan. They were accompanied by a delegation of businessmen, which included 71 representatives of Slovenian companies. After being received with military honours, the Slovenian President met the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, for discussions, and these were followed by talks between the delegation of Kazakhstan and the delegation of Slovenia, led, respectively, by the two presidents. During the talks, the representatives of Slovenia and Kazakhstan signed agreements on economic co-operation, international transport of passengers and goods by road, the abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports and a memorandum of co-operation between the economic ministries of Kazakhstan and Slovenia.
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 President Nazarbayev highlighted the success of Slovenia as the most developed country in South-Eastern Europe, which had already presided over the European Union and other international organisations. He thanked President Turk for supporting Kazakhstan’s presidency of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010 and presented the vision and agenda of the Presidency. President Türk said that despite the different scale, history and geographic position of the two countries, they shared much as they had gained independence almost at the same time, and furthermore, have similar concerns about the future of Europe and the wider area of the OSCE. He also drew attention to the extensive experience of Kazakhstan in security challenges of recent times, and to Kazakhstan’s membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which, according to him, has proved useful to the OSCE and other international organisations.
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 The two presidents also devoted their attention to the development of bilateral relations, mainly to the strengthening of economic co-operation and the development of strategic co-operation between the European Union and Kazakhstan. President Nazarbayev emphasised the interest of Kazakhstan in the presence of the Slovenian companies in the country, in particular companies from the pharmaceutical, mechanical and food-processing industries, from information technology and from the construction sector, and especially road construction. In his words, Kazakhstan wants Slovenian companies to be involved in implementing Kazakhstan's strategy of industrialisation to 2020. President Türk stressed that Kazakhstan's economy is diverse and rapidly growing. He expressed Slovenia's interest in the raw materials of the country, including energy products, metals and leather. He also highlighted possibilities in the field of renewable energy sources i.e. development of hydroelectric power. |
 Mr Nazarbayev referred to Kazakhstan’s interest in the port of Koper and in the transport of goods via Slovenia. He highlighted the development of tourism, which would enable people from both countries to become acquainted, since, to most Europeans, Kazakhstan is still an unknown country. Dr Türk also underlined the importance of tourism and cultural co-operation, arguing that Europe should become more familiar with the rich cultural heritage of Kazakhstan. He also stressed the importance of tourism in developing friendships and understanding and establishing business and other relations.
The delegation of the Republic of Slovenia also included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel ®bogar, who met with the Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kanat Saudabajev. Their discussions focused on OSCE issues.
As part of his visit, President Türk later laid flowers at the monument to the Defenders of the Homeland.
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 Together with the Kazakh Prime Minister, Karim Massimov, he then attended the Kazakh-Slovene business forum, where both addressed an audience of business people from the two countries. Prime Minister Massimov highlighted the strategic positions of Slovenia in Europe and of Kazakhstan as an entry point into Central Asia, China and Russia. He expressed his support for the involvement of Slovene companies in road and railway infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan. President Türk called for completion of the talks held to conclude agreements between Slovenia and Kazakhstan on avoidance of double taxation and mutual protection of investments. He also suggested other possible areas of co-operation between the two countries, including hydroelectric power, the pharmaceutical industry, the food-processing industry, telecommunications and information technology.
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 Dr Türk continued his visit by meeting Prime Minister Massimov: they primarily discussed economic co-operation between Slovenia and Kazakhstan and the resumption of talks on the conclusion of economic agreements between the two countries. He then met with Kassym Tokayev, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to discuss the upcoming Kazakh chairmanship of the OCSE.
President Türk later joined President Nazarbayev in the Palace of Independence in Astana. The two viewed a scale model of the capital, along with the city's development plan to 2030. They then reviewed the Pyramid of Peace and Harmony. |
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Lecture by the President of the Republic of Slovenia at the Public Administration Academy in Astana: "The Evolving Role of OSCE: From Helsinki to Astana"