Kazakh-British Forum held in Manchester

The speech emphasized historical role of the Head of State in development of independent Kazakhstan, stabilization and modernization of its economy, improvement of the living standards, democratization of its political system, formation of the rule of law and civil society, strengthening of interethnic and interreligious harmony, recognition of Kazakhstan as a responsible and reliable partner by the international community, the Kazakh MFA's press service said. The priority attention the Ambassador of Kazakhstan gave to the main provisions of the "Nurly Zhol - The Path to the Future" State-of-the-Nation Address of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Erzhan Kazykhanov stressed upon the priority sectors of the national economy defined by the President of Kazakhstan, calling for British business to take an active part in the development of transport, logistics, energy and other infrastructure in Kazakhstan. The representatives of the British companies noted the timeliness of the President's Message and the importance of stimulating further economic development of Kazakhstan, as well as attracting foreign investment. The United Kingdom ranks third after the United States and the Netherlands in terms of direct investments into the country's economy, which exceeds USD10 billion. Bilateral trade has been growing steadily, reaching USD2.3 billion in 2013. There are more than 600 companies with British capital in Kazakhstan. They are involved in a variety of industries, including energy, transport, mining, metallurgy, education, health, banking and other sectors.