The Kazakh-Italian forum "KAZAKHSTAN – ITALY: Trade and Investment opportunities on the way to Kazakhstan" has started in Milan. The event was attended by Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Arman Shakkaliyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Italy Yerbolat Sembayev, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Yerkinbayev, as well as high-ranking Italian representatives, including President of the Senate of the Italian Republic Ignazio La Russa, President of the Lombardy region Attilio Fontana, Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanke and Vice Minister of "Made in Italy" Valentino Valentini, Regional Minister of Economic Development Guido Guidesi, Marco Osnato, President of the Finance Commission of the Republic of Italy, Senator Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, President of the European Union Policy Commission of the Republic of Italy, and Licia Ronzulli, Vice President of the Senate.
The Forum continues to fulfill the instructions of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev following an official visit to Italy in January 2024, which was a significant step in strengthening Kazakh-Italian relations. The main topics of discussion included renewable energy, agro-industrial complex, tourism, pharmaceuticals and technological innovations, emphasizing the strategic importance of Kazakhstan in economic cooperation between Europe and Central Asia.
Minister of Trade Arman Shakkaliyev noted that Italy is one of Kazakhstan's key trading partners in the European Union and is one of the three largest in terms of trade turnover. As part of strengthening cooperation, Kazakhstan proposed to introduce the "Made with Italy" concept, which will promote products produced at joint ventures with the participation of Italian companies and help strengthen the position of goods in international markets.
Valentino Valentini, Vice Minister of Made in Italy, expressed support for the idea and stressed that joint projects would stimulate the development of small and medium-sized businesses in both countries. The forum also discussed prospects in the tourism sector, where Italian Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanke noted the significant potential for the growth of tourist exchange, which is facilitated by the launch of direct flights between Astana and Milan.
An important part of this initiative will be the creation of centers of excellence ("Excellence Center") for the transition to European quality standards to ensure the rapid entry of Kazakh products into the EU and Italian markets in Kazakhstan, it is necessary to issue certificates of equivalence of manufactured products to EU regulations.
Special attention was paid to the first trade and economic mission of Kazakhstani companies to Italy, which started within the framework of the forum. The mission was attended by more than 50 Kazakhstani enterprises representing sectors such as agriculture, oilfield services, textile industry, tourism and IT. Zhenis Osserbai, General Director of QazTrade JSC, stressed that the mission creates excellent conditions for the development of new partnerships and the implementation of promising projects.
Representatives of leading companies such as Maire Group, Ansaldo Energia, Filiera Italia, Confindustria Kazakhstan and others spoke at the forum. The main purpose of the forum was to create a platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas between government and business structures of the two countries, which contributes to the development of mutual trade and investment cooperation.
The trade mission will continue with a series of B2B meetings and participation in exhibitions aimed at strengthening economic ties and finding new opportunities for cooperation between Kazakhstan and Italy.
