Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Georgia Talks Geo-Kazakh Ties in Tech Uni Lecture
Ermukhamet Ertysbayev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Georgia, gave a lecture at the Tbilisi Technical University on Friday to mark the launch of a special course on the history and culture of Kazakhstan.
While introducing the 'Third Modernization of Kazakhstan - A bridge to the Future' program, announced this January by Nurusltan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, to an audience of students and professors, the Ambassador highlighted the importance of the Georgian-Kazakh relations.
He gave a detailed overview of Kazakhstan’s historical, socio-economic and political development and the future goals and prospects of the country, noting that Kazakhstan and Georgia will be marking the 25-year anniversary of their first diplomatic relations in May 2017.
Among the many topics discussed during the lecture, the Ambassador mentioned the importance of regaining territorial integrity and unity for Georgia.
While discussing the possibilities of economic growth and the process of economic reform implementation in Georgia, Ambassador Ertysbayev suggested that the potential visa-free regime and improved diplomatic relations with Russia would be an important step for the country.
“Georgia is a very important strategic partner for Kazakhstan, the country through which we’ve been able to reach the Black Sea following the agreement signed between our two countries during the visit of our president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to Georgia in 2005,” Ertisybayev said. “Georgia is the only country in the world into the economy of which Kazakhstan has invested massively, with projects like the Batumi Sea Port, the Borjomi and Likani resort development, and other projects being realized with financial investments from Kazakhstan; all of it possible thanks to the tight trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.”
The Ambassador then went on to describe the huge International Expo planned for the summer of 2017 in Astana, which almost three million tourists are expected to attend.
“Our country is ambitious. We have the means to host the largest exhibition in history. A whole new city has been built for the Expo, with modern architectural buildings, and Georgia is to have a large pavilion there. The theme- Energy of the Future -is very important for Georgia, in terms of new energies and hydro-technology,” the Ambassador said, adding that from June 2017 throughout the entire expo period, seven flights will be available to Almaty and four to Astana from Tbilisi. Everyone flying to Astana will be given free tickets to the expo.
The Ambassador then suggested launching a joint initiative together with the Tbilisi Technical University, and attracting Georgian and Kazakh businessmen to give the students who successfully pass their exams the chance to attend Expo 2017 for free. Enhancing cooperation between the Technical University and educational institutions of Kazakhstan was also noted as a future step of mutual collaboration.
The second part of the lecture focused on the Third Modernization of Kazakhstan declared by President Nazarbaev in January. The program focuses on creating a new model of economic growth to ensure the country’s global competitiveness. The modernization plan includes five main priorities: the acceleration of technological modernization of the country, improvement and expansion of the business environment and microeconomic stability, improving the quality of human capital, institutional change, security, and the fight against corruption. Increasing the power of parliament is a part of planned constitutional reforms. The reforms aim to help Kazakhstan achieve the status of a “most developed country” by 2050.
The meeting and lecture of the Ambassador of Kazakhsan was rounded up with a question and answer session, with topics ranging from the experience of the professional trade unions in Kazakhstan to the market economy.
“We deeply respect Georgia’s choice to be a member of European Union. But in order to be a real member of the EU and have the same rights as the other countries, in my personal opinion, it will take a whole historical era to modernize the country and make the necessary changes in mentality. Having a free trade zone with Europe for Georgia is an excellent chance and we are very happy with the fact that you’ll have a visa-free regime,” the Ambassador said.
Nino Gugunishvili