The Poland’s economic relations with Kazakhstan may become extremely fruitful for both countries, providing a gateway to a wider Polish presence in Central Asia and Kazakhstan in Europe. Kazakh business is interested and open to what Polish companies have to offer. This is how the Poland-Kazakhstan Economic Forum, which took place in Warsaw, can be summarized.
The Forum was opened by PAIH Board Member Grzegorz Oszast, Deputy Minister of Development and Technology Grzegorz Piechowiak, Roman Vasilienko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and Kairat Torebayev, Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan. The speakers expressed their desire to strengthen relations and increase economic exchange in the face of new trade routes between our countries.
During the panels held at the Forum, participants discussed potential cooperation in the industrial sector, possibilities of supporting Polish and Kazakh companies, as well as challenges and logistical opportunities resulting from geopolitical changes. The possibilities of financing investments were discussed by Daniyar Iskabylov, Vice President of the Management Board of the "Kazakhstan Investment Development Fund" and Karol Rozenberg from the Department of Foreign Expansion and Trade Financing of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego. Yerlan Zeineshev from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan also spoke. During the discussion, it was possible to develop a common position in the form of synergy of activities of entities in financing investments. The panel session devoted to the potential of cooperation was led by Lyubov Papurina from PAIH’s Foreign Trade Office in Kazakhstan. The discussion with the participation of Minister Torebaiev was devoted to the presentation of the current direction of development of the main industries of Kazakhstan.
In the panel devoted to supporting companies, the discussion also concerned the expectations and concerns of interested parties. Małgorzata Jaworek PhD from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń presented the results of a survey conducted among Polish entrepreneurs on the issue of business cooperation with Kazakhstan. The respondents pointed to the importance of support from the PAIH Foreign Trade Office in Astana and the Kazakh Invest agency. At the same time, the survey identified areas for further improvement, such as simplification of procedures and anti-corruption policies. The analysis showed that in the vast majority of cases Polish capital is perceived positively in Kazakhstan and Polish investments are well received. Most companies assess the development opportunities as high and another 30% as very high.
The panel devoted to the current situation of the logistics industry was led by Mikołaj Tauber from PAIH. The discussion concerned changes in the global logistics market resulting from, among other things, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the impact of changes on the global network of trade relations and the economic opportunities of countries located on alternative transport routes. Recently, an increase in the dynamics of contacts between business partners and the countries of Central Asia has been noticeable. Kazakhstan's role on trade routes through the region is crucial. Polish companies have extensive experience in logistics, which they can share. At the same time, increasing cooperation between Poland and Kazakhstan allows to shorten the time of transport of goods by land and sea. This is understood by the operators of logistics companies, including cargo ports in both countries. Improving the connectivity of the Central Asian region with Europe can improve the flow of goods and thus provide an incentive to increase trade.
From Poland’s point of view, the conflict in Ukraine has hindered transport along existing routes. In view of this situation, alternative routes are being developed, allowing for the maintenance and further development of economic exchange. Representatives of Kazakhstan spoke about rapidly developing logistics infrastructure projects, both ports and land routes. The interlocutors agreed that improving the transport of goods between Poland and Kazakhstan may allow not only to maintain trade, but also to increase it.
The Poland-Kazakhstan Economic Forum is a cyclical event, the previous one took place in 2021. The event is a platform for establishing new business relationships and strengthening cooperation.
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