Kazakh foreign trade turnover with EU totals US$ 26 bln in first half 2011

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kazykhanov during "Kazakhstan - Europe: Results and New Horizons of Cooperation" international conference in Astana stated that “Foreign trade turnover of Kazakhstan with the European Union only in the first half of the current year totalled US$ 26 billion”.

The Minister stressed that the state program "Path to Europe" is one of the key initiatives of the Head of State and through this program the EU has strengthened its position as a leading trade and investment partner of Kazakhstan.

"Today, the EU accounts for 50 percent of Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover and almost third of foreign investments. From 1993 till 2010, gross inflows of direct investment from EU member countries into Kazakhstan economy exceeded more than US$ 52 billion," Kazykhanov noted.

According to him, Kazakhstan is Europe's third energy supplier after Russia and Norway.

/KAZINFORM/