SMK for Kazakh trade ties
External affairs minister S.M. Krishna made a strong pitch for increasing trade ties between India and Kazakhstan during a meeting of the India-Kazakhstan Business Forum in the Kazakh capital on Wednesday.
The external affairs minister who is here on a three-day visit accompanied by a high-level business delegation noted that the level of bilateral trade between the two countries is far below its potential. He observed: “Strategic partners and growing economies like India and Kazakhstan should have bilateral trade of several billion dollars.”
At present, among Kazakhstan’s major business partners are some of the European Union countries, Russia, Switzerland, China, USA and Turkey. As far as bilateral trade with India goes, in 2009 Indian exports totalled $157.30 million. India, in turn, notched up imports worth $ 96.09 million from the Central Asian country.
While expressing satisfaction with the growth in trade and economic ties between the two countries, Mr Krishna called upon the business communities from bioth the countries to “engage more actively with each other”.
Further, he called upon Indian companies to “look more seriously at Kazakhstan” not only for trade but also for taking up projects here.
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