ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 26. Kazakhstan aims to strengthen and develop trade and economic ties in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov at the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Trend reports.
"The SCO, possessing significant natural resources, technological and intellectual potential, is confidently moving towards its key goals. This is the achievement of balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region on the basis of equal partnership," he said.
As he noted, following the results of the July Summit, the leaders of the SCO countries set a number of tasks to further enhance trade and economic cooperation.
"We see the main goal of joint efforts in this direction to further strengthen the role of the SCO as a platform that meets the interests of all its members. This approach is paramount for Kazakhstan within the framework of its chairmanship in the SCO," he said.
Smailov noted that overall, interregional trade has grown almost 100-fold over more than 20 years. Last year alone, Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with the SCO countries increased by about 20 percent and reached $61 billion.
Kazakhstan’s foreign trade turnover in 2022 reached a historically high level of $134.4 billion. The trade surplus amounted to $34.3 billion, which is 82 percent better than in 2021 and four times more than in 2020.
Export volumes amounted to $84.4 billion. By 2021, foreign sales volumes had increased by 40 percent, and by 2020, they had increased by 78 percent.
Import volumes to Kazakhstan reached $50 billion for the first time, updating the 2013 record ($48.8 billion).
