Kazakhstan proposed increasing exports of high-quality agricultural products to Serbia at the 4th meeting of the Kazakhstan–Serbia Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), held in Almaty on August 8. The IGC was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin and Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dačić.

In his welcoming remarks, Serik Zhumangarin emphasized that the most promising areas of cooperation between the two countries are trade and transport, agriculture, healthcare, tourism, science, biotechnology, education, and culture.

The growth of agricultural trade confirms the potential of the two countries: in the first half of 2025, the trade turnover of agricultural products increased 1.5 times, reaching USD 4 million. Kazakhstan is interested in expanding exports of grain and leguminous crops, vegetable oils, fish, meat, and dairy products.

“As of today, the European Commission has approved the requirements for the export of Kazakh fish products to EU countries. Twenty Kazakh enterprises supplying pike perch fillets and fish products have been included in the EU register. In February this year, we obtained permission to export honey to the European Union. Four major Kazakh honey producers are ready to begin supplying their products to Europe. In addition, work is underway with the European Commission to gain access to the EU market for aquaculture products and horse meat,” Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan Yermek Kenzhekhanuly said.

The Kazakh side also proposed implementing joint investment projects in the processing of livestock and crop products. Another promising area of cooperation highlighted was scientific research. This includes training specialists in breeding and seed production, conducting field trials of grain, oilseed, and vegetable seeds in various regions of Kazakhstan, creating joint hybrids, and cooperating in the production of biopesticides.

Within the framework of the meeting, Kazakhstan expressed readiness to build a multifunctional hotel complex in Belgrade (through private investment). According to Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerzhan Yerkinbayev, the project will give impetus to the development of tourism infrastructure and strengthen business and cultural ties between the countries.

Additionally, the Deputy Minister proposed establishing a partnership between the International University of Tourism and Hospitality in Turkistan and Singidunum University in Belgrade. This will promote the development of academic mobility programs for students and faculty, as well as the implementation of joint research projects by Kazakh and Serbian scholars in the field of tourism. He also invited Serbian travel companies to participate in the annual Kazakhstan International Exhibition “Tourism and Travel,” which will be held in April 2026 in Almaty.

The parties agreed to continue exploring the prospects of extending the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route toward Europe, including Serbia, and discussed details of launching a direct flight between Astana and Belgrade this year. The direct flight will be operated by SCAT Airlines. Currently, airlines from the two countries are carrying out the necessary procedures to launch the route, and, in order to increase its attractiveness, are negotiating its extension from Belgrade further to Morocco, Tunisia, Barcelona, and Larnaca.

The meeting also reached agreements on organizing a trade and economic mission to Serbia this year and holding the first Kazakhstan–Serbia Business Council. This will help strengthen trade, economic, and investment ties between the business communities of the two countries.

Details of the issues raised at the IGC were discussed separately in a bilateral meeting. Following the session, a protocol was signed to formalize the agreements reached. The next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission is planned for 2026 in Serbia.

For reference: Singidunum University is the only higher education institution in Serbia with international TEDQUAL certification from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It ranks among the top 600 European universities according to QS Europe University Rankings 2025. Singidunum University is also the official regional reference library of the UNWTO, holding one of the largest collections of tourism-related academic literature in the Balkans.

#Agriculture #International Cooperation #Investments #Serik Zhumangarin

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