During the talks at Akorda, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the first-ever state visit by the King and Queen of the Belgians to Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
“It is a great honor to welcome you on this truly historic occasion and to celebrate the enduring friendship between our two countries. Your Majesty King Philippe, I deeply respect your dedicated service to Belgium. Under your reign, the Kingdom of Belgium continues flourish and strengthen its well-deserved standing on the global stage. Your devotion to your people and your tireless efforts to strengthen understanding among Belgium’s communities embody the unifying role of the Crown. We also attach great importance to unity in diversity and to ensuring that every citizen feels part of our common future. I admire your longstanding dedication to enterprise, knowledge and innovation. The steadfast support that the Royal Family extend to Belgian businesses deserves our deep respect and appreciation. Your Majesty Queen Mathilde, your presence brings particular warmth and distinction to this visit. The compassion and grace with which you champion children, education and human dignity inspire great admiration. These noble causes resonate deeply with our people,” the Head of State said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev went on to emphasize that Kazakhstan views Belgium as a time-tested and reliable partner in Europe.
“Next year marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. Your visit gives us fresh impetus to celebrate this milestone with concrete achievements. Belgium is one of Kazakhstan’s leading trading partners. Your country also ranks among Top-10 largest investors in Kazakhstan’s economy. I regard this as a clear vote of confidence in Kazakhstan’s economic future,” the President noted.
The Head of State highlighted the considerable potential for expanding cooperation between Astana and Brussels in transport and logistics, critical minerals, renewable energy, agriculture, healthcare and artificial intelligence.
“I warmly welcome the distinguished delegation of officials, regional and business leaders, prominent academics, press members accompanying Your Majesties. I look forward to tomorrow’s Fourth meeting of Kazakhstan-Belgium Business Council. It is encouraging to see this initiative develop into a valuable platform for turning promising opportunities into lasting results. We also value our cooperation with Belgium within the framework of the European Union and in multilateral fora. At a time of growing global uncertainty, partnerships built on trust, respect and mutual understanding are indispensable. I am confident that the best of our relationship still lies ahead. For my part, I will do my utmost to ensure that the agreements reached during your visit are fully implemented,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.
In turn, King Philippe of the Belgians thanked the Head of State for the warm welcome and recalled his previous visits to Kazakhstan as Crown Prince.
“We are all deeply impressed by the country’s development under your leadership. The areas we will be exploring during our visit are very important to both our countries, including artificial intelligence, energy and nuclear energy. We will together witness roundtable discussions with scholars. I am accompanied by a large delegation of university rectors and business representatives,” King Philippe said.
The talks also featured remarks by members of the official delegations from both countries.
At the conclusion of the talks, both sides expressed satisfaction with the wide range of initiatives presented and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to further developing practical cooperation.
