ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 12. Kazakhstan and Germany develop cooperation in the sphere of mineral raw material supply, Trend reports.
The Minister of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan, Kanat
Sharlapayev, participated in the 8th Raw Materials Congress held in
Berlin, where he viewed exhibitions, listened to presentations from
speakers, and also took part in the panel session titled "Raw
Materials' Security – Milestones, Challenges and Next Steps."
During his speech at the panel session titled "New Partners for
More Resilient Supply Chains," the Minister highlighted that for an
extended period, Kazakhstan has positioned itself as a trusted
energy collaborator for Europe and Germany. On the imminent
horizon, the nation is poised to evolve into a reliable provider of
essential metals, driving forward our collective objectives of
decarbonizing the global economy.
“We believe that Kazakhstan has all the necessary prerequisites for
creating resilient supply chains, including a diversified mineral
raw material base, critical infrastructure, human capital, high
competency, and a developed midstream industry,” said
Sharlapayev.
As part of his working visit, Kanat Sharlapayev held a number of
meetings aimed at establishing long-term cooperation. The Minister
met with Christian Vorwick, Director of External Economic Policy at
the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of
Germany and Co-chair of the Intergovernmental Working Group on
Trade and Economic Cooperation.
During the discussions, the parties emphasized that bilateral
cooperation holds potential for further development of trade and
economic partnership, supported by impressive achievements in
various industries.
The Minister also met with Toralf Haag, CEO of Aurubis AG.
Following that, Kanat Sharlapayev listened to a report by Peter
Buchholz, Director of the German Raw Materials Agency (DERA).
In addition, the Minister met with Michael Hartz, CEO of Freiberger
Compound Materials GmbH, one of the leading global producers of
compound semiconductor substrates for microelectronics and
optoelectronics.
At the end of the visit, the Minister held a meeting with Wolfgang
Niedermark, member of the Board of the Federation of German
Industries (BDI). The parties discussed opportunities and prospects
for joint cooperation in the industrial sector.
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) unites 40 industry
associations and more than 100,000 companies, employing
approximately 8 million people. BDI represents and promotes the
interests of all industries, lobbies for industrially active
companies worldwide, and participates in all economically
significant legislative processes.
Kazakhstan and Germany have a long history of fruitful cooperation.
The trade turnover between the two countries last year reached $3.8
billion, which is 36.6 percent higher than in the same period in
2022. Specifically, Kazakhstan's exports to Germany increased by
39.6 percent, and imports grew by 35.9 percent.