Kazakhstan Invites Indonesia To Form A Business Council To Strengthen Partnerships

JAKARTA - Kazakh Ambassador to Indonesia Serzhan Abdykarimov invited Indonesia to form the Kazakh-Indonesia Business Council to strengthen inter-companies partnerships in the two countries.

"This will be the main vehicle that helps companies grow and develop joint and private businesses in the two countries," said Abdykarimov, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, December 8.

Abdykarimov said bilateral relations between the two countries have developed rapidly in the last 30 years where the two leaders of countries, parliaments, government officials, business circles and the people of the two countries have visited each other frequently.

Abdykarimov revealed that Indonesia-Kazakhstan's trading volume has increased 19 times in the last 19 years, from only 19 million US dollars (Rp295 billion) in 2004, to 400 million US dollars (Rp 6.21 trillion) in 2022.

"In just the first nine months of 2023, the trade volume of the two countries has reached 240 million US dollars (Rp 3.7 trillion)," continued the diplomat, who once served as Kazakhstan's ambassador to Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic.

Abdykarimov appreciated the active role of the Indonesian business world in Kazakhstan, which is rich in energy and has twice as much per capita as Indonesia and an area of 1.4 times wider than Indonesia but only about 1/13 of Indonesia's population.

"Since 1992, Kazakhstan has succeeded in attracting foreign direct investment from Indonesia up to US$510 million (Rp7.92 trillion)," he continued.

According to Abdykarimov, the two countries are actively cooperating in many sectors, from oil and gas, to mining, chemicals, furniture, textiles, pharmaceuticals, wood processing, agriculture, and tourism.

He invited Indonesian entrepreneurs to actively invest in Kazakhstan and take advantage of the large economic market and Kazakhstan's strategic position in Central Asia and the Eurasian region (Europe-Asia).

According to him, Kazakhstan is an important liaison for Central Asia, with 13 transit corridors already disbursing US$35 billion (Rp543.3 trillion) investment funds for transportation and transit infrastructure in the last 15 years.

"This is an attraction for investment and offers an unexpected gateway for Indonesian exporters," said Abdykarimov.

He also mentioned the Trans-Kaspia Corridor that connects Southeast Asia and China with the Kaspia Sea, Kaukasus and southeastern Europe, in addition to being important for global cooperation initiatives such as the Prekarsa Belt and Road (BRI) initiated by China.

"We reconnect Asia and Europe through the New Silk Road of the 21st century which is an asset that can be utilized optimally by the Indonesian business world," said Abdykarimov.

Abdykarimov expressed his country's interest in utilizing Indonesia's expertise in Islamic finance to be integrated with the Astana International Financial Center.

"This collaboration will enrich our financial landscape so as to encourage economic growth and innovation," concluded Abdykarimov, who assessed that both Indonesia and Kazakhstan had a common perspective on various global issues, including multilateralism, food security, and inter-confidence dialogue.

On Friday, December 8, 2023, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Indonesia Serzhan Abdykarimov handed over a letter of trust to the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.