President Basescu: Romania can be a partner in Kazakhstan's industrial development
Mar 2, 2010

President Basescu: Romania can be a partner in Kazakhstan's industrial development.
Astana, Kazakhstan, March 2 /Agerpres/ - Agerpres correspondent Irinela Mica reports:

President Traian Basescu stated on Tuesday in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, that Romania can be a partner in the industrial development of Kazakhstan, answering to an invitation extended to this end by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.

'Categorically, both countries need to develop their bilateral relationship. Romania can benefit from energy resources and the raw materials required for the production of nuclear fuel for nuclear reactors. On the other hand, Romania can be a partner in the industrial development of Kazakhstan, in the area of oil equipment, nuclear equipment and energy equipment in general,' said Basescu.

The President indicated that the invitation of Kazakhstan to Romanian companies to participate in the industrial development of the country is first of all 'a huge opportunity for Romanian companies.'

'This is about a long-term project for which 50 million US dollars have been earmarked, a project that will allow Romanian quality companies to expand business in Central Asia and transfer experience and know-how from the Romanian industry,' said Basescu.

Kazakhstan, he added, is Romania's most important foreign trade partner in Central Asia. 'The figures President Nazarbaev mentioned - 800 million US dollars in trade in 2009 - were strongly affected by the ongoing global economic crisis. In 2008, we were virtually very close to reaching 2 billion US dollars in commercial exchanges,' he added.

The President underscored that Romania perfectly understands Kazakhstan's need to open its exports to the huge market of the European Union, a market of 500 million citizens. 'That is why within the partnership between Romania and Kazakhstan the use of Romanian infrastructure - the Constanta Black Sea port, the railway system, the roads and particularly the Danube River - which crosses the EU and links to the North Sea through the Rhine - is a solution for Kazakh goods reaching the EU,' said Basescu.

In his turn, President Nazarbaev said that there are 35 companies running on Romanian capital in Kazakhstan. A contribution to the development of the legal basis for cooperation between the two countries, he said, was brought by the signing on Tuesday of intergovernmental economic cooperation agreements in the areas of tourism, as well as other documents.

Romania and Kazakhstan on Tuesday signed cooperation agreements in the areas of economy, tourism, and justice, and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of statistics. AGERPRES
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