Astana: Kazakhstan views the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as an important partner on the African continent and is interested in comprehensive development of bilateral cooperation, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a limited-format meeting with the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, F©lix Tshisekedi, who is on a state visit to the country, Trend reports.
According to Trend News Agency, the President of Kazakhstan also thanked F©lix Tshisekedi for accepting the invitation to visit Astana. ‘Your first state visit is very important. It will give new momentum to the development of relations between Kazakhstan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Your country, with a population of over 110 million people, is rich in human and natural resources. Moreover, its authority is growing at the international and regional levels. In this regard, I believe that today’s talks will contribute to strengthening ties between Central Asia and Africa. Expanding cooperation with African countries is one of the key directions of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy,’ noted Tokayev.
The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo expressed confidence that the results of today’s talks would help deepen the ties between the countries. ‘Allow me to thank you and, through you, the entire people of Kazakhstan for the very warm reception extended to me personally and to my delegation. I am here to strengthen ties and cooperation not only between our countries but also between the African region and Central Asia as a whole. These are two worlds separated by distance, but it seems to me that such visits allow us to come closer and better understand each other. We had the opportunity to work with your country through the ERG company, which is very active in the mining industry, but we believe there are many other areas where we could exchange experience and enhance our cooperation,’ said Tshisekedi.