Ministerial Roundtable of the OECD Central Asia Initiative

 

18 June 2010 - Paris, France

 

To define ways to tap into the full potential of the region, Ministers and senior officials from seven Central Asian countries including Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan met on 18 June 2010 at OECD Headquarters in Paris for the Ministerial Roundtable of the OECD Central Asia Initiative.

 

From left to right: Mr. Dirk Meganck, Director ‘Asia and Central Asia’, European Commission, EuropeAid Co-operation Office; Mr. Saidrakhmon Nazriev, Deputy Minister of Economy, Tajikistan; Mr. Yerbol Orynbayev, Deputy Prime Minister, Kazakhstan; Mr. Richard Boucher, Deputy Secretary General, OECD; Mr. Aymeri de Montesquiou, Senator and Special representative of the President of France for Central Asia, France; Mr. Gochiyev Annamuhamed, Minister of Finance, Turkmenistan; Mr. Sanjar Mukanbetov, Deputy Minister of Economy, Kyrgyz Republic; Mr. Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, Minister of Economy, Afghanistan; Mr. Alisher Usmanov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uzbekistan; Mr. Damdin Tsogtbaatar, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mongolia; Mr. Fadi Farra, Head of Eurasia Competitiveness Programme, OECD

 

Afganistan's Minister of the Economy speaks about economic and competitive priorities   Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister speaks about the impact of the economic crisis in Kazakhstan

“With investors looking for new opportunities, Central Asian economies are now in a position to benefit from a new wave of investments. The OECD is partnering with them so that they can best take advantage of those investments to enhance competitiveness, private sector development and ultimately improve people’s lives,” said OECD Deputy Secretary-General Richard Boucher.

 “Diversifying investments and supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises are key priorities for the Republic of Kazakhstan. We are delighted to work with the OECD Central Asia Competitiveness Initiative to achieve those goals” said Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerbol Orinbayev.

 To support the region in creating a more competitive business environment, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD  (BIAC)  presented Ministers with an “Eurasia Foreign Investor Declaration”. The Declaration, agreed by the business community of the 32 OECD member countries, contains specific guidelines to help countries in Eurasia target the most effective policy reforms to capture more and better investment opportunities.

 Eurasian ministers and country officials also joined a “Foreign Investor Roundtable” at the French Business Confederation, MEDEF, where they presented their country’s investment opportunities and met with potential investors from French companies.

 The OECD Central Asia Initiative is implemented in partnership with other international stakeholders including the European Commission, the GTZ and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

 

• OECD Central Asia Initiative Ministerial Conference 2010 – Key Outcomes