BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 7
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The issues of urban development, infrastructures and municipal services remain very important in agenda of MEDEF cooperation with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, Chief Operating Officer of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF) Bogdan Gadenne-Feertchak told Trend.
In his words, MEDEF’s relationship with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan is a long-standing, long-term and dense cooperation story.
“In terms of activities, 2021, as well as 2020, were impacted by the different waves of the pandemic that have hindered but not stopped our projects with these countries. On one hand, our meetings continued in digital format at a very steady pace. As an example, we held 5 sessions with municipal officials of major cities in Kazakhstan, which play a tremendous role in the economic dynamism of the country. Some of our companies have invested there, like Vicat in the Kazakhstan's Zhambyl region,” he said.
Secondly, Gadenne-Feertchak noted, MEDEF has been able to lead two business missions, one to Tashkent and the other to Nur-Sultan, in May 2021, as a part of the Joint Intergovernmental Commissions.
“Some thirty business delegates took part in these missions and could make progress on some of their projects, particularly in Uzbekistan. Lastly, we made a new start in our approach to the agricultural and agri-food sectors thanks to the creation of a dedicated business cluster within MEDEF International,” he noted.
Commenting on the future of MEDEF-Central Asia cooperation, Gadenne-Feertchak noted that the evolution of the pandemic will of course have an impact on the pace and scope of bilateral actions, whether they are organized in France or in Central Asian countries.
“The issues of urban development, infrastructures and municipal services remain very important in our agenda, as well as the subjects of energy transition, agriculture and digital technologies. 2022 will still be a year of recovery for these economies,” he added.
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