Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will welcome Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for an official visit to Serbia, which is set to take place on Tuesday, November 19.
On Tuesday morning, from 10:00 to 10:15, a formal ceremony to welcome President Tokayev with full military honors will be conducted. Immediately afterward, from 10:20 to 10:50, President Vučić and President Tokayev will hold a private, one-on-one meeting, as announced by the Media Office of the Serbian Presidency.
Later that day, the schedule includes a broader meeting between delegations from Serbia and Kazakhstan, which will be led by the two presidents. This meeting will occur from 10:55 to 11:30. Following this, a formal ceremony for the exchange of signed agreements between the two nations is planned from 11:40 to 11:50, with both leaders present to witness the event.
The two presidents are expected to give joint statements to the press between 11:45 and 12:10.
After completing these official proceedings, President Vucic and President Tokayev will travel to the “Colonel Pilot Milenko Pavlović” Air Base in Batajnica, where they will observe a display of military equipment and weaponry.
Additionally, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce will host a Serbian-Kazakh Business Forum on Tuesday. The purpose of the forum is to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries, focusing on industries such as information and communication technology, agriculture, construction, and transportation.
During the forum, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Foreign Trade Chamber of Kazakhstan. Business representatives from both nations also engaged in face-to-face meetings to explore potential partnerships.
Trade between Serbia and Kazakhstan has seen significant growth, increasing by 23% over the past year to reach a total value of $91 million.
Currently, 36 Serbian companies are actively operating in Kazakhstan, which serves as a crucial partner in the logistics corridor connecting China and Europe.
According to the Serbian Business Registers Agency, there are 35 active companies in Serbia that are majority-owned by Kazakh nationals. These businesses operate across a variety of sectors, including trade, motor vehicle repairs, energy supply, transportation, construction, scientific research, innovation, and finance.
Kazakhstan’s economy experienced growth of 5.1% in 2023, which was driven by higher oil production and government-provided financial incentives. The unemployment rate has declined to 4.7%, while inflation, which had been at 21.3%, dropped significantly to 9.3% as of February this year.
Kazakhstan’s economy is heavily oriented toward exports, with oil and related products making up 73% of the country’s total exports. Other notable export goods include ferrous metals, copper, aluminum, zinc, and uranium.
The main countries importing goods from Kazakhstan are Italy, China, the Netherlands, Russia, and France. In terms of imports, Kazakhstan primarily trades with Russia, China, Germany, the United States, and Italy.
