SINGLE DISTRIBUTOR TOOK PART IN THE KAZAKHSTAN-NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT ROUND TABLE

On October 11, the Single Distributor took part in the Kazakhstan-

Dutch investment round table, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, KAZAKH INVEST NC JSC and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands.

The Dutch delegation included the Ambassador of the Netherlands to

Kazakhstan Andre Carstens, Special Representative of the Ministry

Dutch Clean Tech Frederik Vossenaar, Vice President Philips Jan-Willem Scheigrond, President Dutch Clean Tech Sander Pilkenrud, Vice President

President of the UPOV International Organization for the Protection of New Varieties Peter Button, representatives of Royal GD in the field of phytosanitary

activities and veterinary medicine in the Netherlands, as well as managers and

representatives of such large companies as Lely, Vencomatic, Rijk Zwaan.

The Kazakh side was represented by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Netherlands Askar Zhumagaliyev, Vice Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhenis Oserbay, Deputy Chairman of the Board of   KAZAKH INVEST NC JSC Zhandos Temirgali.

The round table with a welcoming speech was opened by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Netherlands Askar Zhumagaliyev. Then the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Kazakhstan, Andre Carstens, in his welcoming speech, noted that this event should make a significant contribution to ensuring the mutual development of the economy and creating better conditions for the business of the two countries.

Further, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of   KAZAKH INVEST NC JSC Zhandos Temirgali made a presentation on the topic of investment opportunities in Kazakhstan. He spoke about the interest in diversifying the portfolio of Dutch companies from the energy sector towards processing industries, including pharmaceuticals.

As part of the round table, a Memorandum of Cooperation was concluded on the implementation of projects in the field of healthcare between Philips and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Earlier, the Head of State instructed to switch to a centralized procurement of medical equipment on the basis of the Single Distributor, following the example of the procurement of medicines and medical devices. In pursuance of these instructions, the Single Distributor has begun work with global manufacturers of medical equipment to develop mechanisms for centralization, including on the basis of production localization.

Speaking about the role of production localization, it should be noted that entering a new stage of integration will be a transition to a new industry model. And the tasks of increasing the level of localization of production play one of the key roles in this regard.

The Single Distributor is conducting a substantive study of the issues of localization of the production of medical equipment in Kazakhstan using the mechanisms of long-term contracts, off-take contracts, leasing mechanisms, and life cycle contracts.

During the round table, parallel bilateral meetings were also held, including the management of Philips and the Single Distributor discussed plans for cooperation in the field of localization of the production of medical equipment in Kazakhstan.

Philips Vice President Jan-Willem Scheigrond noted Kazakhstan's desire to provide high-quality and high-tech medical services for the population of the whole country and expressed readiness to implement joint projects with Kazakhstani colleagues.

In turn, the Chairman of the Board of the Single Distributor Yerkhat Iskaliyev highly appreciated the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Philips as part of the program for the centralization of medical centers. He also added that this will be an important step in improving medicine in Kazakhstan and will create a platform for the exchange of experience in the field of digitalization of medicine.

It should be noted that economic relations between Kazakhstan and the Netherlands are developing dynamically. By the way, the Netherlands is one of the largest investors in the Kazakh economy. Moreover, the country of tulips has been a leader among Kazakh investors for many years.

At the end of the event, the parties expressed their gratitude for the organization of the event and readiness for fruitful cooperation in the future. Dutch companies, in turn, are ready to share their experience in implementing advanced digital technologies and cooperate with domestic companies in Kazakhstan.