Mohamed bin Zayed joins President of Kazakhstan in official opening of Astana International Finance Centre

The Astana International Finance Centre (AIFC) was officially inaugurated on Thursday in the presence of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The President of Kazakhstan received His Highness Sheikh Mohamed, who was accompanied by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, upon his arrival at the Centre.

The Kazakh President expressed his delight at Sheikh Mohamed's attendance of AIFC's inauguration, which he said was launched after examining the successful experiences of the financial markets in a number of countries, including the UAE.

In a speech delivered before senior international financial officials and guests, President Nazarbayev said that AIFC will serve Central Asian countries by supporting the development of the private banking sector, and opening investment opportunities. It will also facilitate the development of Green Finance, and support environmental-friendly investments.

He also pointed out that the official launch coincides with the 20th anniversary of the founding of the capital Astana, and is part of the country's continuous quest for modernisation and development.

AIFC - positioned as a financial hub for Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Middle East, Western China, Mongolia and Europe - is located at Expo 2017, and is equipped with modern infrastructure and advanced technologies. Another key strategic objective of the Centre will be to provide financial solutions as per Islamic laws.

The event was also attended by Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry, Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi Al Dhaheri, Minister of Justice, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of Executive Affairs Authority, and Dr. Mohammed Ahmed bin Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Ambassador to Kazakhstan.

Mohamed bin Zayed, President of Kazakhstan witness signing of agreements

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and his host President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan attended the signing ceremony of two agreements and a memorandum of understanding, MoU, in the capital Astana, on Wednesday.

The agreements aim to bolster joint partnership and cooperation and open up new prospects for joint work between the two friendly countries.

H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, was present at the signing ceremony.

The first agreement on transfer of sentenced persons between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates was signed by UAE Minister of Justice Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi and Kazakh Prosecutor General Kairat Kozhamzharov.

A MoU between the Kazakh Ministry of Information and Communications and the Sawab Center was signed by UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash and Kazakhstan Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev.

Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, Minister of Culture and Sport of Kazakhstan, inked the second agreement on joint cultural and art cooperation.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority (EAA); Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council and Dr. Mohammed Ahmed bin Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Ambassador to Kazakhstan.

From Kazakh side, it was attended by Foreign Minister Khairat Abdel Rahmanov; First Deputy Prime-minister, Askar Mamin; Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan for International Affairs, Nurlan Onzhanov; Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, Kairat Kozhamzharov; Minister of Culture and Sports, Arystanbek Mukhamediuly; Minister of Energy, Kanat Bozumbayev; Minister of Information and Communication, Dauren Abayev, and d Kairat Lama Sharif, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United Arab Emirates.

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