Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Poland exceeded $2 billion in 2012, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on October 30.

The participants of the fifth meeting of the Polish-Kazakh Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation highlighted a 23 percent increase in the bilateral trade turnover which reached $2.1 billion in 2012.

The meeting held in Warsaw was chaired by Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Rapil Joshybayev and Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Janusz Piechocinski.

According to the Polish side, mechanical engineering, energy, defense industry and mining, transportation and logistics, and agro-processing are among the most promising sectors for expanding bilateral cooperation.

"We expect Kazakhstan to become a WTO member in 2014, which will create more stable and transparent conditions for our trade and economic cooperation and the growth of trade turnover and investments," Piechocinski said.

The sides also expressed their readiness to sign an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of education, and inter-ministerial memorandums of understanding in the areas of standardization and veterinary medicine.

Poland's exports to Kazakhstan amounted to $600 million in 2012, being 20-25 percent higher than the previous years.

Poland mainly imports oil from Kazakhstan, and equipment for mining, engineering products, building materials, medicines, fruits and vegetables are exported from Poland to Kazakhstan.

Compared to other CIS countries, Kazakhstan is Poland's third important economic partner after Russia and Ukraine, and its fifth important partner in Asia after China, Japan, India, and Singapore.

Earlier Kazakh national agency on export and investment KAZNEX INVEXT reported that HATRANS, Poland's largest transport-logistics company is looking for a Kazakh partner to implement a project in logistics.

Commercial director of HATRANS Rafal Bobovsky said at the XII industrial exhibition "Europe-Asia. Cooperation without borders" held in Aktobe on October 1-3 that his company intends to find a reliable partner in Kazakhstan and jointly increase the cargo transit from China to Europe and vice versa through Kazakhstan's territory.

"The next step may be the construction of a joint transport terminal in Kazakhstan," he said.

HATRANS has logistics terminals in Poland and China. The company transports 40 rail cars with various cargos from China to Poland every week, sending them to Europe through Kazakhstan. This route is very perspective , as sending goods from China to Europe through Kazakhstan takes 10-12 days, while the alternative route by sea takes about 45 days.

Furthermore, two Polish companies, Petrolinvest Oil Company and Polskiego Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNIG) State Gas Concern, are active in Kazakhstan's oil and gas markets.

Polish Ambassador to Kazakhstan Jacek Kluczkowski said earlier that Polish companies are interested in working in Kazakhstan's oil and gas sectors and are open to collaboration with both Kazakh and foreign companies.