The Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, held a meeting with Erlan Qoşanov, the Chairman of the Mazhilis, the lower house of the Parliament of Kazakhstan.

According to the Parliament of Georgia, the discussion highlighted the enduring friendly relations between Georgia and Kazakhstan, reflecting on their shared history and envisioning a future of strengthened cooperation.

Shalva Papuashvili recalled his official visit to Kazakhstan last year and underscored the significance of Erlan Qoşanov’s return visit. He also expressed gratitude for Kazakhstan’s steadfast support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Erlan Qoşanov noted that this is the first official visit of the Mazhilis Chairman to Georgia, which he believes will give a fresh impetus to bilateral relations.

The two sides explored opportunities to enhance parliamentary ties. They positively evaluated the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the parliaments during the visit and acknowledged the active exchanges between parliamentary friendship groups. Attention was also drawn to the importance of deepening cooperation between sectoral committees and parliamentary staff.

The Georgian parliament also reported that the discussions extended to areas such as trade and economics, transport, energy, investment, tourism, culture, and youth engagement. Both parties expressed keen interest in sharing expertise on digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

The meeting recognised that Georgia and Kazakhstan are both vital players along the Silk Road, with cooperation in developing the Middle Corridor gaining particular importance for global trade. The importance of establishing a joint venture along the Middle Corridor, centred at the Astana International Financial Centre in 2023, was also emphasised.

Erlan Qoşanov mentioned Kazakhstan’s plans to transition to a unicameral parliamentary system and to hold elections based on party lists, expressing interest in Georgia’s experience in these areas.