The Chairman of the Presidium of NCE RK "Atameken" Timur Kulibayev met with the heads of diplomatic missions of a number of leading countries

This is the third meeting of the kind held by the head of NCE RK "Atameken" Timur Kulibayev. There were only ten participants three years ago, last year the number has doubled and this year twenty-five representatives from different countries showed the interest to the meeting, which was held at the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The main results of the work of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs were summed up during the meeting, the role of which was highly appreciated by foreign representatives. They emphasized an importance and efficiency of "Atameken" in support, protection and development of business in Kazakhstan, regardless of nationality.

"On the advice of Timur Kulibayev, I visited a number of cities - Pavlodar, Taldykorgan, Kyzylorda, Uralsk, where I met with businessmen at the regional branches of NCE and I saw the operations at the regional level. For me, these meetings were much more useful than even meeting with the Akims - said the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of France to Kazakhstan Francis Etienne. - Major French companies invest in Kazakhstan for a long time, but some have some difficulties (...) We all know many wonderful examples of assistance provided to businesses, so we address to the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs to help in resolutions of difficulties, which face our investors".

The Chairman of the Presidium NCE RK Kulibayev stressed the importance of maintaining a favorable business climate in the country as a key factor in the development of economic processes.

Participants of the meeting noted a number of positive developments: the law on fundamental measures of business support, a ban for state agencies to create administrative barriers to entrepreneurship at the legislative level. In addition, "Five institutional reforms" have changed the situation significantly, which were voiced by the Head of State, and the program "100 concrete steps". The Labour Code has become more liberal and is based on the standards of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), as well as the new Entrepreneurial Code, which spelled out the presumption of innocence of a businessmen, liability of state officials, including criminal, for violations of entrepreneurs’ rights and many other innovations, which have greatly expanded the rights of businesses.

Particular attention was devoted to two issues: the development of human capital and the large-scale privatization in the country, announced by the Head of State, calling on all companies, including multinationals, to participate in the work on privatization of the state property.

"Even strategic assets by the order of the President of the country will be revised and submitted for privatization, so the state is ready to get rid of the functions, which are not its natural attributes. NCE and Chamber of Commerce are ready to provide service support to big investors, including foreign ones. I think this is a great field for joint activities. We have almost finished an interactive map, which includes dozens of thousands of Kazakh companies in various fields, which are ready for cooperation. It will be presented to the public soon", - said Timur Kulibayev.

He also spoke about the development of human capital, a priority issue for Kazakhstan.

"Our country faces the challenge of diversification, it is clear that it is impossible to achieve it without experts. Atameken is actively involved in the promotion of dual education. The Head of State recently announced financial support to the system of dual education in compliance to which the state will pay for vocational and technical education", - said chairman of the Presidium of NCE RK.

The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Kazakhstan Sean Perry Style highlighted the importance of the education topic, referring to the long experience of his country.

"I am delighted that "Atameken" plays an important role in this issue. The success of VET development in Canada is based on close cooperation of the private sector and local authorities in the development of training programs and immediate reaction to staffing needs in the manufacturing industry and the industry in general. According to statistics, more than 85% of graduates of VET insitutions in Canada get a job in the first year. Largely due to the fact that the private sector is actively involved in the development of training programs. I support the idea that investments whether they are private or foreign should be directed for training of required personnel, the establishment of training centers, and your regional network of branches can contribute to this. Kazakhstan and Canada are very similar: size, location and number of people. We are ready to share the experience of a network of training colleges across the country", - suggested the Canadian diplomat.

Finally, the chairman of the Presidium of NCE RK Timur Kulibayev said that the long-term cooperation between Kazakhstan and the countries - participants of the meeting is still an important component of international relations, and such regular activities contribute to the development of a constructive dialogue in issues of mutually beneficial economic partnership.