ArmInfo. Kazakhstani companies in the field of refining and selling petroleum products are showing interest in the Armenian market. Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Armenia Timur Urazaev said this at a press conference in Yerevan on May 27, responding to a question from ArmInfo regarding Kazakhstani companies that show investment interest in the Armenian market.
"We all probably share the principle that you must first build a good economic basis in both bilateral and multilateral relations, and then lay down some new initiatives in a closer integration understanding," the ambassador of Kazakhstan said.
Speaking of Kazakhstani companies expanding their participation in the Armenian economy, the Ambassador reminded that there are Kazakhstani companies in Armenia, which hold stock in such large companies as brandy factories and mining companies. "A new direction will probably be the participation of Kazakhstani companies in the field of refining and sale of petroleum products - gasoline, oils and other factions. I cannot name companies by name, firstly, this is not a commercial secret for some reason, but rather it is the prerogative of the companies themselves to make public "He emphasized. Secondly, according to the Ambassador, the market is a freely forming field of activity, and there is no decree on investments "from above", since this is not how business is done. However, the fact is, Urazaev remarked, that these negotiations are not only conducted, but a good contractual base is being prepared for them, which is already at the final stage.
In this context, the Ambassador recalled that there was information in the media about 2-3 Kazakhstani companies that want to participate in the Armenian gasoline market. However, according to him, how much their plans will correspond to the desired volume for the Armenian market is a secondary question, since this is a private business, and the gasoline market of Armenia is not so big for potential Kazakhstani exporters.
At the same time, Urazaev stated that small or even medium-sized companies with small working capital, as a rule, cannot deal with this, because it is very difficult for small companies to work with a small market, and with difficult logistics. "It should be some big company with a diversified activity," the Ambassador said. In this context, he stressed that since 2005, Kazakhstan's investments in the Armenian economy have amounted to more than $ 50 million and they are gradually increasing, although their activities are not always well visible, since they are part participants in various projects.
However, according to the Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstani products appear little by little on the Armenian market, starting from the products of the Ural Transformer Plant and ending with the confectionery company Rakhat. According to him, they all implicitly participate in the Armenian economy.
At the same time, the diplomat stated that the Armenian investments in Kazakhstan are not so great, "But given the fact that Kazakhstan proclaims a new strategy of economic diplomacy, our colleagues abroad, including our embassy here, urge businessmen to invest in the economy of Kazakhstan, to take part in projects on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which are highly efficient and transparent enough to be implemented, "the diplomat concluded.