First in Central Asia: Italy to open cultural center in Astana

The Head of State said that the multifaceted cooperation between Kazakhstan and Italy is based on a strong political dialogue, dynamic economic partnership and rich cultural-humanitarian ties. He highlighted significant contribution of Sergio Mattarella to strengthening the partnership between Astana and Rome.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reminded that during his official visit to Italy last year, important agreements were reached, which gave a new impetus to the Kazakh-Italian cooperation.

"Italy remains one of the three major trade partners of Kazakhstan. Our economic cooperation develops very dynamically and has an enormous potential for further growth. In the past 20 years, Italy has invested up to 7.6 billion US dollars in our economy. 250 Italian companies are successfully operating in Kazakhstan,” the President said.

The Head of State outlined promising areas for deepening cooperation, including critical minerals, petrochemistry, machine-building, transport and logistics, light industry, food processing, artificial intelligence, finance, tourism and education. The creation of the Central Asia Plus dialogue platform, as well as the holding of the first Central Asia-Italy Summit in Astana in May of this year, were highlighted as successful examples of such collaboration. The Kazakh side highly praised the support of this initiative by Rome.

The President of Kazakhstan also recalled his cordial meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was a keynote speaker at the Astana International Forum.

Cultural-humanitarian interaction was another important issue on the agenda of the talks.

The Head of State reminded of his decision to name one of Astana streets after Marco Polo, which is expected to become a symbol of Kazakhstan-Italy friendship.

Sergio Mattarella pointed out the importance of further deepening the partnership, expressing gratitude to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for his personal contribution to strengthening of the trust-base dialogue and mutual understanding between the two countries.

“We are deeply honored to pay this visit. Your visit to Rome last year marked a significant milestone in the advancement of our relations and laid a solid foundation for their continued strengthening. These steps make our partnership truly exceptional. Our countries are actively expanding cooperation in the cultural sphere. Italy opens its cultural center in Astana, the first of its kind in Central Asia. The initiative to name a street in Astana in honor of Marco Polo also reflects your commitment to further strengthen our ties. I am sincerely thankful to you for this support,” the President of Italy said.

Following the talks the sides expressed confidence that the official visit of Sergio Mattarella would open a new chapter in the history of the Kazakh-Italian relations. 

Earlier, the Kazakh and Italian presidents held negotiations in narrow format.