BAKU, (DNA) – Kazakhstan will continue to strengthen its strategic partnership with Great Britain in order to modernize the economy, increase investment and trade exchange between the two countries in the light of the agreements reached at the highest level, Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said during his visit to London Nov.20.

During the meeting in London, the Kazakh foreign minister and his colleague Boris Johnson chaired a regular meeting of the Kazakh-British Strategic Dialogue, the Kazakh ministry reported.

Abdrakhmanov noted that Great Britain is one of the six largest investors in Kazakhstan’s economy (over $12 billion worth of investments), and also one of the major trading partners. In 2016 bilateral trade amounted to $ 1.2 billion, in the first nine months of 2017 – about $1 billion.

The parties noted that the development of trans-Eurasian transport corridors and the revival of the Great Silk Road in modern conditions should be a promising direction of cooperation. A good example is the direct container train launched between China and Great Britain in January this year, passing through Kazakhstan as well.

Johnson noted the great importance of Kazakhstan for the UK and expressed the firm intention of London to strengthen all-round cooperation with Astana.

The two ministers also discussed topical issues on the global agenda, including the priorities of Kazakhstan’s upcoming chairmanship in the UN Security Council in January 2018, the Astana process for resolving the situation in Syria, the situation in Afghanistan, the implementation of Minsk agreements on Ukraine, countering terrorism , non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional cooperation in Central Asia and other topics.

In London, Abdrakhmanov also met with the leaders of the British companies “Metalysis”, which outlined a high-tech project in Kazakhstan, and “TheCityUK”, actively cooperating with the AIFC, and also with the editor-in-chief of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber.