Business forums in three countries in Central Asia

October 2015

During the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Central Asia, JETRO co-organized business forums in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan together with bilateral economic commissions between these countries and Japan (Secretariat: Japan Association for Trade with Russia and NIS, or ROTOBO), with each attracting approximately 300 to 400 business people from Japan and the local country.

In his opening remarks, JETRO Executive Vice President Shigeki Maeda focused on the efforts of Turkmenistan to diversify its industries by taking advantage of the country’s abundant natural resources. He also suggested the potential contribution of Japanese companies to enhancing the industrial foundation and export competitiveness of the country by utilizing their advanced technology.

In his guest speech, PM Abe said “In addition to exporting natural resources, Turkmenistan is currently aiming to become an economy that can offer even higher added value, and is interested in high-quality infrastructure. Japan can play a role in this regard”. Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized the importance of Japan as a business partner and said “This forum will be a significant step toward strengthening the economic ties between Turkmenistan and Japan”.

In his opening remarks, JETRO Chairman and CEO Hiroyuki Ishige announced that in addition to the ongoing projects related to electricity, Japanese companies in the forum would disclose the potential for new forms of cooperation with Uzbekistan to follow.

In his guest speech, PM Abe said “As Uzbekistan continues to advance the diversification of its industries, I am extremely pleased to have heard of progress already on detailed cooperative projects with Japanese companies in fields such as bus and truck manufacturing, fertilizer plants, as well as information and telecommunications. I have high expectations for this business forum as an opportunity to expand the scope of cooperation between our two countries”. Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov highlighted the positive GDP growth of the country, which has consistently stayed at 8% or higher for 11 consecutive years. He also requested the contribution of Japan as an essential partner to continue this growth.

In tandem with the forum, JETRO organized an exhibition to introduce activities of Japanese companies in Uzbekistan, setting out miniature models, brochures and sample products from eight companies and related organizations. In an outdoor space, a joint venture between Uzbekistan and Japan displayed ten buses and trucks produced in the country. From Uzbekistan, six companies and related organizations also took part in the exhibition and introduced their own activities and technologies.

In his opening speech, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev said “Japanese companies are long-term strategic partners for Kazakhstan. Aiming at joining the ranks of the 30 most advanced countries in the world, we are currently implementing 100 specific economic reforms”. In response to him, PM Abe said “Many Japanese corporations in a wide range of business fields have experience entering overseas markets, and they are contributing throughout the world to the employment and development of local human resources. I strongly believe that, through their profound knowledge and their contributions locally, Japanese companies can indeed strongly support the economic reforms of Kazakhstan”. JETRO Chairman Ishige touched on the memorandum of cooperation (MOC) concluded with Kaznex Invest, Kazakhstan’s national agency for trade and investment. He pledged JETRO’s contribution to expanding trade and investment between the two countries.

During the forum, a mini-exhibition was also held (by ROTOBO), in which 16 exhibitors including Japanese companies and joint ventures between Kazakhstan and Japan displayed panels. JETRO, a participant organization of the 2017 World Expo to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, introduced the concept of the Japan Pavilion planned for the event. PM Abe and President Nazarbayev also visited the exhibition.

The MOC concluded between JETRO and Kaznex Invest, aiming at enhancing cooperation between the organizations, was concluded at the business forum, taking the opportunity of PM Abe’s visit. The two parties agreed to implement the following activities: