Kazakhstan to open embassy in Stockholm

Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrissov rendered the official visit to Sweden, Tengrinews.kz reports citing the press-service of Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry. At the meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt Idrissov noted that Kazakhstan would open an embassy in Stockholm this year to step up the bilateral cooperation. Bildt organized a business breakfast that was attended by representatives of Swedish businesses working in Kazakhstan, including heads of Swedish telecommunication giants TeliaSonera and Tele-2, transportation company Scania and producer of high-tech equipment Ericsson. Special attention was given to attraction of Swedish investments into implementation of Kazakhstan's industrial program. Idrissov called Sweden's businessmen to fully use the huge potential of business cooperation, Kazakhstan's good investment climate and new opportunities for creation of high-tech production that opened with establishment of the Customs Union. The meeting of Kazakhstan Foreign Minister with the Secretary of State to the Ministry of the Environment Anders Flanking covered attraction of Swedish experience and Swedish companies working in energy efficiency, environmental protection and green technologies to holding of the international specialized exhibition EXPO-2017 in Astana. Yerlan Idrissov invited his Swedish colleague Carl Bildt to visit Kazakhstan and take part in the ministerial meeting of the member-countries of the Istanbul Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan. The Swedish Foreign Minister accepted the invitation and confirmed that he would arrive in Almaty in the end of April. According to the press-service, Kazakhstan is the biggest trade partner of Sweden in Central Asia. The commodities turnover between Kazakhstan and Sweden made around $300 million in 2012.