Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan trade rises - ambassador
By Aynur Jafarova
Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan amounted to $332.949 million in the first nine months of 2012, whereas the figure was $300 million in 2011, Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan Serik Primbetov said at a press conference in Baku on Tuesday.
He also said that in January-September 2012, Azerbaijan imported 700,000 tons of grain from Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan's export of grain to Azerbaijan in the volume of 1 million tons a year is possible, Primbetov said.
He said further that Kazakhstan's state oil and gas company KazMunaiGas and Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR are in talks to create infrastructure for transportation of oil from Kazakhstan's Kashagan field within the second phase of its development.
As it was previously reported, oil from Kashagan may go through Azerbaijan during the implementation of the second phase, which is scheduled for 2018-2019.
Kashagan is one of the largest oil fields in the world, which is located in the north of the Caspian Sea. It holds an estimated 30 billion barrels of oil-in-place, of which 8-12 billion are potentially recoverable. Kazakhstan plans to increase its oil output by 60 percent by 2020, thanks to Kashagan and the expansion of two other large projects.
The companies developing the project are planning to begin commercial production on Kashagan in the first quarter of 2013.
Primbetov also said that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov plan to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan in 2013.
Moreover, in accordance with the decision of the Bishkek summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states, the next, third CCTS summit will be held in Azerbaijan next year, the ambassador said.
Primbetov added that a delegation headed by Chairman of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament Kairat Mami plans to visit Azerbaijan in May 2013 within celebration of the decade of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
The ambassador said that the outgoing year 2012, as previous years, was fruitful in terms of developing and strengthening the relations between the two countries.
"2012 was marked by the 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between our countries. Today one can say with confidence that bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are developing rapidly and characterized as strategic ones," he noted.
High-level personal relations of the two presidents, the dynamics and results of summits, common positions on many international and regional issues, close trade, economic, social and humanitarian relations show positive and progressive development and strengthening of the relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Primbetov said.
The ambassador emphasized the intensified cooperation between the two countries in the cultural and humanitarian fields.
This year mutual Days of Culture have been held for the first time, he said.
The Days of Azerbaijani Culture in Kazakhstan were held in Astana and Almaty on June 6-10.