Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Kazakhstan Didier Caness, El.kz reports with reference to the press service of the ministry.
Nurzhan Nurzhigitov spoke about the work carried out by the ministry and proposed to join forces in the issue of training specialists in the water industry - whether it is new higher education programs or advanced training of existing personnel.
In response, the French delegation expressed its readiness to cooperate with Kazakhstan. In particular, within the framework of the joint scholarship program "Abay-Vern". Thus, master's and doctoral students will have the opportunity to study in France for free.
In turn, the ambassador noted that the November meeting of the Presidents of Kazakhstan and France was the beginning of a new stage in relations between the two countries, including in the water sector.
Thus, at the World Climate Summit in Dubai, it was announced that the republics will co-chair the first thematic summit "One Water" within the framework of the next session of the UN General Assembly.
In addition, this year France launched a cooperation program in the field of water resources, the management of which was entrusted to the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM). The first part of the program, which is designed for 2 years, was supported by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. The program provides for the exchange of experience on issues such as climate change, digitalization of the water industry and modeling in water resources management.
Also this year, 8 seminars were held within the framework of the program, and a number of specialists had the opportunity to undergo an internship in France. Next year, in addition to seminars and visits of delegations, it is planned to develop a concept note, which will include all the information received by domestic specialists during the implementation of the program
Representatives of the French Development Agency (FDA), who were present at the meeting, said that in early 2024, experts from France are scheduled to visit Kazakhstan to discuss possible joint projects.