"Kazakhstan completed structural reforms, which helped form the main institutions of a market economy and enter a phase of microeconomic stabilization," Kairat Kelimbetov said. "Today Kazakhstan enters a new phase - the phase of development."
The minister said Kazakhstan was the first country in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to receive investment ratings from all three international investment agencies and is currently the second country in the CIS after Russia in terms of GDP per capita.
Kelimbetov said Kazakhstan's main economic interests were still in the Central Asian region but that the closest relations would always be with Russia.
"Kazakhstan is positioning itself as a country with a service economy around huge economies - China, Russia, the Central Asian region," he said.
The minister said the country had begun the construction of world-level petrochemical complexes to ensure against problems with oil and gas exports.
Kelimbetov added that the country's seven main spheres requiring further development were the oil and gas machine-building industry, agriculture, textile, tourism, construction materials, metallurgy, and transportation and logistics.
