Nursultan Nazarbayev tells Polish president about investment opportunities in Kazakhstan

First of all, the Kazakh President recalled his state visit to Poland last August. The President thanked the head of the Polish state for the friendly reception he received, reminding that it was very productive.

"I remember well my visit last August. I felt the friendly hand of the Polish people, of yours, Mr. President. It was an important event for our relations. During the Kazakh-Polish Business Forum, we signed 15 commercial documents for nearly $2 billion. As you requested, a Polish carrier has already been operating regular flights between Astana and Warsaw since May 29," Nursultan Nazarbayev noted, addressing his colleague.

The Head of Kazakhstan said that he and Andrzej Duda discussed the regional and global issues, as well as the successful development of the Kazakh-Polish relations during this meeting. Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed that the countries share common principles and approaches to the international problems.

The President also informed that 10 new Poland-invested enterprises were established in Kazakhstan last year, and the investment amounted to nearly $100 million there. He noted that both Kazakhstan and Poland expect 4% economic advance this year. "The growth allows us to feel optimistic about the future," Nursultan Nazarbayev highlighted.

Then, the President introduced the high-ranking guest to the reforms under implementation in the country. "We in Kazakhstan have proceeded with implementing five institutional reforms, called the Plan of the Nation, in order to enter the world's top 30 developed countries. As per the Global Competitiveness Index, we rank 50th. Kazakhstan has become a full-fledged member of the WTO, we thank Poland for supporting our participation. The investment climate is regarded as the most favorable. Today, we will hold a joint business forum, where our ministers and relevant companies will provide you with details of our legislation conditions. There is a special company, KAZAKH INVEST, which works with foreign investors and ours, who invest in other countries. In 2017, a visa-free regime was introduced for the citizens of Poland. The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) will operate after the end of the exhibition. We even amended the Constitution, it [AIFC] will work in line with the English law. Almost all financial institutions have agreed to work in this center. We are inviting you," the Head of State said, noting that "Kazakhstan is Poland's key partner in the region and a reliable launching ground to enter the Central Asia markets."

For his part, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, recalled that Nursultan Nazarbayev's last-year visit to Poland was paid at the time of crisis and served to boost the bilateral trade turnover. "I am sure that we will be able to reach the level we had before the crisis in 2014, we will succeed to get much better results, owing to your and my actions, owing to the fact that we encourage our entrepreneurs to cooperate", Andrzej Duda said.

The Polish leader said that he plans to participate in the National Day of Poland at the Astana Expo 2017 international exhibition and, in general, stressed the importance of the exhibition theme. "This is an excellent demonstration of modern technologies related to renewable energy sources, as well as the use of the conventional sources of raw materials. But it is much safer for the environment than it used to be until now," he concluded.