PM welcomes "deepening relationship" with Kazakhstan
21 November 2006
Tony Blair welcomed Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Number 10 today for talks.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, the PM said:
"This visit indicates the very strong relationship between the UK and Kazakhstan today. We have come a long way in these past few years since you were last here, I think in the year 2000, and this relationship is obviously about trade and energy where the UK is I think the second largest investor in Kazakhstan today.
"But it is about more than just investment in the energy sector. Increasingly we have strong relations for example in relation to the airlines, in relation to defence."
The two leaders issued a joint communique which pledges to enhance stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, strengthen economic ties between the two nations, and work closely on improving education.
The UK is the third largest investor in Kazakhstan, with £3 billion of investment since independence in 1991.
Five key facts about Kazakhstan
- Population: 15.2m
- Languages: Kazakh and Russian
- GDP: US$ 56.1bn
- Major Industries: Ferrous metals. Oil. Gas. Agriculture
- Major trading partners: EU, Russian Federation, Switzerland, China, USA
