Kazakh President, Italian PM hold brief conversation at Astana Airport
Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni had a brief conversation at the Astana Airport, Kazinform News Agency reports citing the Akorda press service.
“It is a great honour for us to welcome you in Kazakhstan. I am confident that the upcoming talks will play an important, and, probably, key role in giving additional impetus to our bilateral relations. Italy is one of Kazakhstan's leading trading partners in Europe,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
He also said that yesterday and today Astana hosted a business forum with the participation of numerous Italian entrepreneurs.
“We highly appreciate your assistance in the development of business ties between our countries,” the Kazakh President said.
Giorgia Meloni noted that she is pleased to visit Kazakhstan for the first time.
“As you have said, the relations between our countries are very good, but there is always an opportunity to do better. We consider Kazakhstan as a very important partner of Italy and entire Europe. Moreover, the Central Asian region has acquired strategic importance to date. Thank you for organizing the first Italy-Central Asia Summit at the level of the heads of state. I believe that this summit could become a historic one in our relations with the region. In these challenging times, it is very important for us to strengthen cooperation at all levels,” the Italian Prime Minister said.
The arrival of the Italian Prime Minister was preceded by the Italy-Kazakhstan Supply Chain International Forum, attended by around 300 interested companies from the two countries. The forum focused on logistics, trade, industrial projects and supply chain development between Kazakhstan and Italy.
Read more on what impact will the Prime Minister’s visit have on Kazakhstan–Italy cooperation in a Kazinform correspondent’s material.
