Kazakhstan is the main trading partner of India in Central Asia. Bilateral trade turnover exceeds the combined Indian trade turnover with the rest of the region's countries all together and estimated at $ 1.5 billion by the end of 2019. Only over the period from January to August 2019 trade turnover between Kazakhstan and India already exceeded $ 949 million. We are predicting this number to increase even more than the last years. Kazakhstan - India cooperation is a two-way road, since we are not only beneficiaries, but also investors to Indian economy. Kazakhstan is also widely considered to have the best investment climate in the region, having attracted over $ 300 billion in foreign direct investment in last 2 decades. According to the 2019 World Bank's Ease of Doing Business report, Kazakhstan now ranks at 25th spot out of 190 countries. We simplified the process of bringing in foreign labor for priority investment projects by getting rid of some of the most cumbersome quotas and permits. There are direct less than 3-hour flights between Delhi and Almaty operated by our flag carrier "Air Astana" 14 times a week. Besides the business climate, political stability and well-educated workforce, access to a fast-growing regional market, including Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia), Central Asia and China. Kazakhstan is open for business. Open for tourists and new opportunities. We look forward to many future visits of Indian people to Kazakhstan-for business or leisure.

-H.E. Mr Yerlan Alimbayev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to India