The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš, gave an interview to Silk Way TV, where he spoke about prospects for strengthening cooperation with Kazakhstan, Qazinform News Agency reports. Prime Minister, first of all, welcome to Kazakhstan. We know this is your first visit in our country and in our capital.
You will meet President Tokayev today. What outcomes are you hoping to achieve from these high-level negotiations, and would you describe this visit as a turning point for Kazakh-Czech relations? First of all, thank you. I’m happy to be here. I had always dreamed of coming to Kazakhstan because after university I started working in a department that imported raw materials.
At that time, I was buying yellow phosphorus from Jambyl and Shymkent, 9,000 kilometers from our factory in the Czech Republic. We have brought a delegation of companies and consider Kazakhstan an important and decisive country in Central Asia. Kazakhstan is fortunate to have all raw materials, practically everything from the Mendeleev table.
In Europe, energy is a major topic because the current green energy strategy is affecting industry. The Czech Republic is pointing to a growing problem related to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz as a consequence of the war in Iran. Our strategy is to expand nuclear power plants.
We have concluded a contract between Kazatomprom and ČEZ. Kazakhstan ranks first worldwide in uranium production, and we see strong potential for cooperation. Energy, including uranium and crude oil, is very important, and Kazakhstan is a key supplier to the Czech Republic.
This is why we see significant potential for cooperation with Kazakhstan. What are you aiming to achieve in these discussions, this energy dialogue with Kazakhstan, for your country? We have discussed it, and I understand that there could be good cooperation and that Kazakhstan would be ready to supply crude oil.
In the Czech Republic, the refineries belong to the Polish group PKN Orlen, but we are also discussing cooperation with a German refinery in Leuna, which is owned by Total. There, we also see the possibility of processing your crude oil. We see willingness on your side to potentially become our direct supplier of crude oil.
Let ’s go step by step through the different pillars of our cooperation, starting with trade. As far as I know, it has grown more than 15 times in recent years. What practical steps can be taken to further deepen economic cooperation? The Czech Republic mainly exports to the European Union, so we are looking for new markets.
Your country is large, and there is strong potential. It is important that you have an active stock exchange and that companies can do business successfully. This can open the door for Czech companies. We are strong in the defense industry. The company ZVVZ is creating a joint venture with Teplosnab-NS LLP.
Documents have been signed to establish this joint venture, and the company has technology to modernize coal power plants.