“Europe and Asia come together in Kazakhstan,” President Karis remarked. “At home in both cultures, the Kazakhs have built understanding and contact between East and West. Kazakhstan has become a strategic partner to the EU in the Central Asian region, and although not a member of either the EU or NATO, the country has rapidly grown in importance in the areas of international cooperation and security, as reflected in the visits paid to it by European leaders.”
The head of state noted that Europe is Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner. “With the support of the EU, Kazakhstan today is building a new trade corridor between Europe and Asia,” he said. “Like Estonia, Kazakhstan sits at a crossroads of trade routes. For us, Kazakhstan represents a gateway to Central Asia; for the Kazakhs, Estonia could be a link to the EU.”
President Karis was accompanied on the trip by a 50-member business delegation and the rectors of Estonian colleges and universities. More than 20 memoranda of cooperation and understanding in the fields of business and education were signed during the visit.
During his time in Kazakhstan, the head of state visited Astana’s digital hub and financial centre and participated in a roundtable on the use of AI in education. “AI is influencing and transforming countries, the relationships between them and the balance of power,” he stated. “The purposeful development of AI and awareness-raising in regard to the phenomenon are priorities for many countries. Kazakhstan has digitalised its state and done a lot in terms of developing AI.”
A cultural programme which took place as part of the state visit introduced to the Kazakh people various aspects of Estonian literature, museum art and music culture. This included a concert at the Astana Opera House with performances by the VHK String Orchestra and violinist Hans Christian Aavik. President Karis opened an exhibition dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Estonian books at the National Academic Library of Kazakhstan, and unveiled at the country’s National Museum an Estonian literature corner and a glove-themed travelling exhibition of the Estonian National Museum.
At the ALZHIR Museum and Memorial Complex dedicated to the victims of the Gulag, the head of state laid flowers in memory of repressed Estonians and handed over copies of files on the fate of five Estonian female political prisoners from the National Archives.
During her time in Kazakhstan, Sirje Karis met with students and lecturers at the Kazakh National University of Arts, where she learned about the institution’s educational and cultural activities. She also visited Secondary School no. 103 in Astana and was briefed on UNICEF’s endeavours to promote children’s rights and well-being in Kazakhstan.
President Karis was accompanied on the visit by Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Liina Kersna, Chairman of the Estonian-Kazakh Friendship Group Vadim Belobrovtsev, Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta and Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis.
A 14-member delegation from the field of education included the rectors and other representatives of Estonia’s biggest colleges and universities: TalTech, the University of Tartu, Tallinn University, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, the Estonian Business School and the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences. Among them were key figures from both the academic management and international cooperation sides of the institutions.
The business delegation accompanying President Karis, whose members were selected by the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Baltic-Central Asian Chamber of Commerce, included a wide range of Estonian companies, from industry and logistics to health innovation, education technology and finance: DreamJob, the Silmet Group, Silsteve, the Port of Sillamäe, Skinest Rail and Skinest Kazakhstan, Cybexer Technologies, Eesti Viljasalv, Omniva, Eesti Raudtee, SLD Consult, Olerex, Bolt, DreamApply, Admiral Markets, DEEEBOX, Operail, MGT Muuga Grain Terminal, the e-Governance Academy, Better Medicine, R8 Technologies, Ecomatic, Tallinna Masinatehas, the Mootor Group with Turnit OÜ and Lux Express, BT4 Invest, the Primostar Group, PepperTix, PharmaPark Production, Kevelt, Ober Haus Real Estate Advisors, Diamond Sky, the Port of Tallinn and Tallinna Elektrotehnika Tehas Estel, plus representatives of the aforementioned chambers of commerce and industry.
Gallery (photos and videos, Raigo Pajula & Ivan Panasjuk): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCASku
