Kazakhstan and Malaysia Set to Expand Cooperation

On May 16, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made an official visit to Kazakhstan to engage in talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The meeting focused on expanding cooperation in political, trade, economic, investment, and humanitarian spheres. In his opening speech, Tokayev hailed Malaysia one of Kazakhstan's most important and reliable partners in Southeast Asia, and continued:  “Kazakhstan and Malaysia have a history of long-standing ties of friendship and cooperation - so I believe your visit will provide a very strong impetus to the further development of ties between our countries. We are ready to make additional efforts to advance our interaction and cooperation in many important areas.” The Kazakh president welcomed the participation of Malaysian companies in the implementation of new projects and promised necessary support from the Government of Kazakhstan. In addition, he commended the 30-day visa-free regime which benefits citizens and in particular, business men and women, travelling and working between the two countries, and noted the convenience of direct flights. Regarding cooperation in education, attention was drawn to the fact that more than 500 Kazakh students are currently studying at Malaysian universities. In turn, Anwar Ibrahim stressed the importance of strengthening Malaysia’s trade and economic cooperation with Kazakhstan, and stated: “We can make the most of growing economic relations. We have created a huge commodity market in Malaysia. Our country has now become a regional hub for the production of computer chips with significant investments from the USA, Europe, especially Germany, and China. I think we can share this experience and at the same time, learn from your successful transformations of various fields.”    

Russian Online Retailer Wildberries to Build Logistics Center in Kyrgyzstan

Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace, is set to build a logistics center spanning 300,000 square meters in the Chui region of northern Kyrgyzstan to service cross-border e-commerce. The initiative was confirmed on 16 May in Kazan, Russia, in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation by Wildberries, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Economy and Commerce, and the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Chui region. The large-scale infrastructure project represents an important milestone in trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. As part of its positive impact on the Kyrgyz economy, the ministry says the initiative will help raise employment, and increase the volume of the economically active population through the development and emergence of new small and medium-sized enterprises, contractors, and buyers. Kyrgyzstan is currently home to two other Wildberries centres in Bishkek and Osh servicing some 130 order delivery points across the country. E-commerce is rapidly growing in Kyrgyzstan and to date, over 17,000 Kyrgyz sellers are registered on the Russian marketplace, compared to about 7,000 in 2022.