Welcoming remarks by Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev at the opening of the OECD Eurasia Week 2017 on October 24, 2017.

 

Dear Mr. Secretary General,

Dear Participants and Guests of the Forum,

Ladies and Gentlemen!

First and foremost, let me welcome you on the Kazakh soil.

Welcome to Kazakhstan – the Country of the Great Steppe!

For the first time the OECD Eurasia Week is taking place in one of the Eurasia Competitiveness Programme member countries. It is a great honor for me to welcome 13 cabinet members of the Eurasian countries, ambassadors of the OECD member-countries, eminent representatives of international organizations, academia, business communities and wider society.

Allow me to extend a special appreciation to the OECD Secretary General Mr. Angel Gurria and the Organization for supporting the Kazakh initiative on hosting the Eurasia Week in Almaty.

The Government of Kazakhstan accounts this step as demonstration of reciprocal understanding and mutual aspiration to strengthen the cooperation between Kazakhstan and the OECD.

For Kazakhstan – accomplishing the nationwide task on entering the ranks of the 30 most developed countries of the world by 2050 – the level and standards achieved by the OECD countries are an ultimate guiding landmark of economic development.

Kazakhstan, one of the first countries in the post-soviet space, which has created a free market economy, enjoys very high development dynamics.

Today we are among the top 50 countries by the size of economy and income level per capita.

We are occupying the 35th place in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business ranking.

Having become the 162nd member of the WTO, our country adheres to the international rules of trading. Having said that, the trade between Kazakhstan with OECD countries comprises almost a half (NOTE: 50.9%) of total commodity turnover of the country.

Kazakhstan supports integration processes to develop the economy and trade in the Eurasian space.

The share of Eurasian countries in the global GDP today reaches $500 billion, while its market is represented by the population of almost 180 million people.  

This is a huge potential for cooperation of the EEU and OECD countries, and Kazakhstan strives to strengthen it through the development of transport and transit potential of the region.

Our country supports the development of the One Belt – One Road international mega-project, and is ready for full-fledged integration with the New Silk Road.

We have fully completed the Kazakh part of the Transcontinental international automobile road of Western Europe – Western China, which is capable to serve as the main route for cargo shipping in Central Asia.

We have constructed a new railroad connecting Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran – another transit corridor to enter the markets of the Middle East.

These are the new opportunities of economic cooperation between countries of the region and the OECD.

***

The modern world is shaping a new agenda – the development paradigm is shifting, and the latest technologies are changing the image of our civilization.

Kazakhstan, along with the global community, is also facing this paradigm shift of development.

The Government is gradually progressing on the five institutional reforms of the President Nursultan Nazarbayev aimed at improving effectiveness of civil service and quality of public services for the population; the rule of law which ensures the right of property; reinforcement of anticorruption policy; strengthening of favorable business climate and diversification of the economy; and the expansion of civil society.  

Earlier this year the Leader of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, declared the launch of the Third modernization of Kazakhstan destined to create a new model of economic growth and to ensure global competitiveness of the country.

As of today, we have already made the main decisions on the Third Modernization.

Constitutional reforms were undertaken. The justice system has been reformed. Serious work on the modernization of the public consciousness has begun. The policy of three languages and large-scale English language learning are underway. Gradual transition of the Kazakh alphabet to Latin script is being planned. This will facilitate the growth of the nation’s competitiveness.

The Government has prepared the 2025 Strategic Plan – the detailed plan for the implementation of the Third Modernization of Kazakhstan in the next ten years.

Technological modernization, strengthening of the human capital, development of innovations – are the basis of our policy.

The Astana International Financial Center has embarked upon its mission based on principles of English law, encompassing concessional tax treatment and independent financial court.

The Digital Kazakhstan state program, new investment and export strategies, and relevant legal framework have already been designed. It is planned that they will enter into force in early 2018.

The first effects are already here. After global challenges and external shocks of 2014-2016, we have started revitalizing economic growth. This year, the GDP of our country has risen up to 3.5% in 9 months.

At the same time, the level of our country’s competitiveness in the new world directly depends on the quality of human capital, and the development rate of new technologies and investment activity. In this context, cooperation with the OECD and member countries of the Organization is of special importance for us.  

Kazakhstan intends to extend partnership on reform to conduct and introduce the best economic standards of the OECD in accordance with the Country Cooperation Program between Kazakhstan and the OECD.

For this purpose, this year the Government approved the national Roadmap for the implementation of the OECD recommendations.

I can state with confidence that recommendations provided by the OECD will enable facilitation of structural reforms on directions such as public management, the development of small and medium enterprises, the development of competition, and the development of local chains of value added and green financing.

The Government of Kazakhstan is ready to facilitate in disseminating the best practices and in sharing with Eurasian countries our experience on interacting with the OECD.   

Our goal is common. It is the assistance to ensuring sustainability of social and economic development in Eurasia. It is the enhancement of the competitiveness of the countries in our region, attraction of investments, development of modern export policy, and fostering innovative entrepreneurship.

I am convinced that our meetings and discussions within the Week will be very fruitful and pave a knowledge-intensive way for the long-term and successful cooperation of Eurasia and the OECD countries.  

I wish you fruitful dialogue within the OECD Eurasia Week 2017.

Good luck in your work!

• 
• 
• 
•