Kazakhstan, Malaysia sign agreements worth $350 million

Kazakhstan, Malaysia sign agreements worth $350 million

Today, Astana hosted a Kazakhstan-Malaysia business forum with the participation of the Prime Ministers of the two countries. During the event, the parties signed agreements worth over $350 million. Now, the states plan to collaborate in attracting investments in the sphere of Islamic finance, trade development, food industry, mining sector, gold processing, and joint production of transformer and motor oils. Presently, a total of 48 companies with Malaysian capital are operating in Kazakhstan, and 17 joint investment projects worth over $410 million are being implemented. Moreover, in recent years, bilateral cooperation has intensified, with trade volumes increasing by almost a third. Malaysia sees even greater potential for mutually beneficial cooperation with Kazakhstan, prioritizing energy, tourism and education sectors. Additionally, it expresses readiness to purchase domestic halal products. Furthermore, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov called on Malaysian businesspeople to expand partnership in the manufacturing industry, subsoil use, agriculture, and construction.

“Malaysia is one of the important markets for Kazakhstan. Our bilateral trade almost doubled in 2023 - from $150 million to almost $250 million. However, we aim to restore and exceed the pre-Covid level of $650 million, which reflects the vast potential of our economies. In this case, we are looking for ways to diversify our exports to Malaysia and ready to explore new opportunities to strengthen our trade partnership,” said Bektenov.