Rome, Italy

The official visit of the Head of State to Italy began with a meeting with President Sergio Mattarella.

The negotiations between the leaders of the two countries were preceded by an official welcoming ceremony. In the Quirinal Palace, in honor of the arrival of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the flag of Kazakhstan was raised and the anthems of the two countries were played. After the welcoming report from the Chief of the Honor Guard, the presidents introduced each other to the members of the official delegations.

Stressing that this is his first visit to Italy in the status of President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev thanked Sergio Mattarella for his hospitality. The head of state noted the long-term and mutually beneficial nature of relations with the Italian Republic, a reliable partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union.

“Today I would like to discuss issues of mutual interest, including the development of economic ties and strengthening relations aimed at the prosperity of the two countries, as well as ways to solve current international problems,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

As the President further reported, Italy is one of Kazakhstan’s key trading partners in Europe.

– The volume of mutual trade exceeded $14.5 billion. We expect that in the foreseeable future the trade turnover between our countries will reach $20 billion. Italy is one of the main investors in the economy of Kazakhstan. There are about 300 Italian companies operating in our market, including Eni, which is the flagship company. We highly appreciate the results of our bilateral relations. We intend to continue to create favorable conditions for their work. At the same time, it is necessary to give additional impetus to the development of cooperation not only in the economic sphere, but also in many other areas, such as culture and tourism. I am confident that cooperation between Kazakhstan and Italy will be very fruitful,” said the Head of State.

Along with this, the leader of Kazakhstan spoke in detail about the most attractive and promising sectors of the country’s economy for foreign investors, including “green” energy.

The heads of state specifically focused on issues of interaction between Kazakhstan and Italy on the world stage, including within the UN and OSCE.

The presidents of the two countries noted the importance of strengthening the system of international relations and global security based on respect for the principles of the UN Charter.

The interlocutors also discussed the prospects for the development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Central Asia with the European Union, especially emphasizing the presence of solid prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of transport and logistics and, in particular, the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).

Taking this opportunity, the Head of State congratulated President Mattarella on Italy’s accession to the post of Chairman of the G7 and wished him success in implementing the G7 agenda.

In turn, noting the great interest in Italy in the course of political and social modernization being pursued in Kazakhstan, Sergio Mattarella thanked the President of Kazakhstan for his visit to Rome and expressed confidence that the results of today’s negotiations will give additional impetus to bilateral economic, political, cultural and humanitarian ties.
At the end of the meeting, which took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev conveyed to his Italian colleague an invitation to visit Kazakhstan, which was gratefully accepted.
Then the heads of state continued negotiations in the format of a working lunch.