Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev noted the need for the development of agricultural cooperation within the framework of the One Belt, One Road initiative.
"It is important to develop agricultural cooperation to ensure food security along the Silk Road," Nazarbayev said, speaking at the Leaders' Roundtable Summit at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
The Kazakh president also spoke about the idea of creating a single economic space 'Big Eurasia'. In this connection he noted the important role of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
"Already this year, the trade in the union has been growing at the pace of more than 30%. This is a large market of 180 million consumers. In this regard, the idea of creating the single economic space 'Big Eurasia' is acquiring a new meaning. The Silk Road economic belt might connect the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the EEU and the EU,” the Kazakh leader noted.
According to Nazarbayev, the Belt and Road initiative is forming a new geo-economic paradigm. Its successful implementation will benefit all the participating states with the total population of 4.5 billion, open the markets for China.
"With the Silk Road project gradually taking its shape today, we need to jointly coordinate this macro-regional cooperation. This is the main role of the forum,” Nazarbayev stressed. According to the Kazakh president, the implementation of the Silk Road initiative opens the possibility of introducing a new vision of entire regions, including Central Asia.
"Central Asia has regained it strategic importance, becoming the main bridge between the largest markets. New and fast routes connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic are developed every year. The trade in Eurasia alone is expected to exceed $1.2 trillion by 2020, thanks to these routes. They are also opening access to the markets of Iran, Afghanistan, Middle East and South Asia," BelTa cited Nazarbayev as saying.
