ASTANA: Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu held talks with his foreign counterparts to outline prospects for cooperation during his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
During the meeting with Foreign Minister of Cyprus Constantinos Kombos in Abu Dhabi, the sides addressed Kazakh-Cypriot relations and exchanged views on current topics on the international agenda. Nurtleu and Kombos confirmed their interest in strengthening the two countries’ political dialogue and trade, economic, and investment interaction.
According to Kombos, his country intends to open the Cyprus Embassy in Astana next year to intensify bilateral cooperation.
The ministers noted the prospects in transport, logistics, and tourism and agreed to consider the possibility of establishing direct flights between the two countries.
Following the meeting, the counterparts confirmed their readiness to continue the talks on the Kazakh-Cypriot cooperation during Kombos’ upcoming visit to Kazakhstan next year.
Nurtleu also held talks with the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Nurtleu congratulated his counterpart on the practical organization of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) held in Dubai from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.
Addressing bilateral cooperation, Nurtleu noted that the UAE is Kazakhstan’s most important partner in the region, and both countries enjoy traditionally fraternal relations.
The sides focused on investment, technological cooperation, and trade and economic relations. The parties agreed to make every effort to achieve a trade volume of up to $1 billion. For this, the ministers outlined the need to open direct flights between the two countries’ capitals.
Nurtleu invited Sheikh Abdullah to pay an official visit to Astana next year and handed a letter from the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with an invitation to take part in the Astana International Forum in 2024.
