Kazakhstan to open new lab for EAEU, Central Asia product testing
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin met on Friday with Marco Mariotti, Philip Morris International's Regional President for the CIS and Central Asia, Qazinform News Agency cites primeminister.kz.
Opening the meeting, Zhumangarin thanked the company for its long-standing cooperation and contribution to Kazakhstan's economic development.
"Philip Morris Kazakhstan has been one of the country's major foreign investors for many years. We highly value the company's contribution to generating employment, developing production capacity, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and strengthening Kazakhstan's export potential," the Vice Prime Minister said.
The sides also discussed the development of a draft technical regulation for nicotine-containing and nicotine-free products within the Eurasian Economic Union.
Serik Zhumangarin emphasized that Kazakhstan supports the formation of common approaches to technical regulation within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). At the same time, the technical regulation under development must consider the specific features of member states' national legislation, ensure a high level of public health protection, and avoid legal conflicts in regulating various categories of nicotine-containing products.
Special attention was paid to the need to comply with current legislation on public health protection, as well as the country's international obligations in tobacco control. In this regard, it was noted that Kazakhstan's Code on the Health of the People and the Healthcare System bans the import, production, sale, and distribution of non-smoking tobacco products, vapes, flavorings, and e-liquids.
Marco Mariotti outlined the company's plans to build a modern laboratory in Kazakhstan for testing and analyzing products to serve enterprises in the EAEU, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. The company will fund the project using its own investments, in line with international standards.
Following the meeting, the sides confirmed their interest in continuing constructive cooperation on technical regulation within the EAEU, ensuring a favorable investment climate, and complying with national legislation on public health protection.
Earlier, A “Republic of Kazakhstan – United States of America” Business Roundtable was held in Astana, bringing together representatives of government agencies, the business community, international corporations, financial institutions, and expert circles from both countries.