President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid a visit to Qatar at the personal invitation of the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on June 21 to reaffirm mutual economic cooperation and participate in the Second Qatar Economic Forum, Akorda reports.
On mutual cooperation, Russia and the U.S.
The President noted great opportunities for strengthening relations between Kazakhstan and Qatar in areas of mutual interest. He proposed to intensify cooperation between the governments and business circles of the two countries.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to make an official visit to Kazakhstan at a convenient time for him.
In turn, the Amir of Qatar expressed Doha’s interest in developing multifaceted economic and investment cooperation with Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan's participation in today's economic forum is a great honor for me. We have a very good relationship of trust and we are open to implementing joint projects, especially in agriculture. This direction is a priority for our country. We will soon send a special group to discuss in detail joint projects in the agricultural sector.
During the Qatar Economic Forum, President Tokayev took part in a special panel session “In Conversation with President Tokayev” moderated by Bloomberg co-anchor Manus Cranny.
The president answered a number of questions concerning pressing challenges in international politics, especially amid the ongoing geopolitical upheavals in Europe and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Answering a question about the prospects of resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict peacefully, the leader of Kazakhstan stressed the importance of continuing the negotiation process. According to him, the goodwill of both states is necessary to resolve the conflict. At the same time, he pointed out the divide in the international community and the weakness of the UN Security Council in resolving this issue.
Never before the UN has been in such bad situation. We remember the time of the Cold War many years ago. Even during the Cold War, the UN was much more united than now. I am very much concerned about what will be happening with UN in the future. However, I am strong believer in multilateralism. I do believe that the international community must be much more getting together to show its solidarity, and of course to put our positive influence on both states. So that we could bring them together to come to peace.
Cranny then asked for President Tokayev's thoughts on U.S. President Biden's administration demanding Saudi authorities to produce more oil. He asked: "Is U.S. President Joe Biden's policy on OPEC working? Have you heard that OPEC is open to increasing energy production? Is Biden's approach working?"
"I'm having difficulty answering your question. I am the president of Kazakhstan and I want to have friendly and predictable relations with the United States," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev answered.