North Macedonia and Kazakhstan are set to strengthen economic cooperation and trade, with the second Macedonian–Kazakh business forum in Skopje and the signing of two important documents that will provide fresh momentum to cooperation between the business communities and contribute to expanding trade, concluded Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade TimchoMucunski and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration ArmanShakkaliyev at a joint press conference on Monday in Skopje.
“This visit is a clear signal of the mutual readiness to deepen economic cooperation and improve overall bilateral relations. In the talks, we openly stated that the current level of economic exchange does not reflect the real potential between the two countries. However, we also agreed that there are concrete and achievable opportunities to close that gap in the coming period,” Mucunski said.
Shakkaliyev, for his part, said that Kazakhstan and Macedonia continue to strengthen bilateral relations, placing particular emphasis on the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation.
“The Kazakh delegation, consisting of representatives of the business community, the agro-industrial sector and the academic community, arrived today in North Macedonia as part of our country’s trade and economic mission. Our main goal is to increase bilateral trade, expand business contacts and establish specific areas of cooperation,” Shakkaliyevnoted.
He stresses that Kazakhstan is actively developing its transport and logistics sector, building sustainable routes between Asia and Europe.
“A key role in this process is played by the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or the Middle Corridor, which is shaping the new configuration of Eurasian trade. In this context, North Macedonia is seen as a promising link on the European route. Its geographical location and integration into the Balkan transport networks create additional opportunities for establishing resilient logistics chains, for placing Kazakh products on the markets in Southeast and Eastern Europe,” said Shakkaliyev.
