RIYADH, 29 August — In a move to forge closer cooperation between the Kingdom and Kazakhstan, especially in the field of justice system and theology, Minister of Justice Dr. Abdullah ibn Mohammed Al-Sheikh will pay an official visit to the former Soviet republic from tomorrow.
“The visit will boost relations in all sectors especially in the field of legislation”, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice here yesterday. The Kingdom, the statement said, has emerged as an important ally of Kazakhstan after its independence in 1991. The two countries have forged close relations in all sectors, while sharing common visions on a range of regional and international issues.
Riyadh recently funded construction of the largest mosque in the Kazakh city Almaty, which can accommodate more than 3,000 worshipers. Although the mosque project started in 1992, it was delayed by financial problems until it was finally implemented with contributions from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. Since then, the Kingdom has been involved in several projects in the country.
Referring to the visit of Dr. Al-Sheikh to the ethnically-diverse country with a predominant Muslim population, the statement said that the minister will hold talks with senior Kazakh officials on bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest. The visit is at the invitation of Supreme Court Chairman Khairat Mami and Academy for Legislations Chairman Dr. Narbkaeiv Maqsoud.
The Kingdom has granted SR56.25 million for the construction of Kazakh Parliament.
On the commercial front, the Kingdom and Kazakhstan have stepped up efforts to promote trade and investment. Trade, however, has been meager over the years.
But the Kingdom has committed to funding some industrial and infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan which boasts half of the former Soviet Union’s total deposits of copper, lead, zinc, coal and nickel.
The statement said that the two countries are considering a proposal to involve the apex Saudi aid agency — Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) — for extending assistance for some important infrastructure projects.
They are also seeking closer cooperation in the oil and petrochemical sector. Two Saudi companies are currently prospecting for oil in that country.
Kazakhstan, which stretches from the Chinese border to the Caspian Sea and bounded by Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, has a rich agro-based economy backed by a strong industrial sector. But the Central Asian republic relies heavily on revenue from oil exports. The country, however, has seen its economy suffer in large part from the drop in world oil prices late last century.
