Astana highlights ties with Riyadh
The Kazakhstan Embassy in Riyadh celebrated the 27th Independence Day of Kazakhstan on Monday. The republic gained independence from the Soviet Union on Dec. 16, 1991.
Riyadh Deputy Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman was the chief guest on the occasion. Senior Saudi officials, diplomats and other dignitaries attended the celebrations.
Ambassador Bakyt Batyrshayev spoke about the fastgrowing ties between Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. He said: “Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia are strategic partners and they have many common features and interests. We are proud of our strong, enduring partnership and pledge to continue our work to strengthen it.”
An art exhibition was also held at the embassy on the sidelines of the celebration. The two-day event showcased the work of renowned artist Ahmed AlSalama.
The Kazakh ambassador said: “Kazakhstan has become a modern country with a successful economy, which is now among the top 50 in the world. Our strategic goal is to join the 30 developed countries of the world by 2050.”
He also highlighted the role his country is playing in the world of diplomacy.
“Kazakhstan has become the place of summits for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), EXPO 2017, Asian Olympic Games, Syrian negotiations and many other important meetings,” he added.
The diplomat said Kazakhstan was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-18.
“During its term Kazakhstan focused on issues such as nuclear disarmament, preventing military confrontations at the regional and global levels, counterterrorism and supporting sustainable peace,” he said. He also referred to the deployment of peacekeepers by Kazakhstan as part of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon.
Highlighting the economic achievements of his country, the envoy said: “Over the past 20 years, Kazakhstan has raised direct foreign investments worth $300 billion, and now we rank 36th among 190 countries in the World Bank’s ‘Ease of doing business index.’”
He described his country as an economic and political bridge between East and West.
“Kazakhstan will always be a friend and partner to all countries especially Saudi Arabia,” said the envoy.