EADS Makes Strategic Investments In Kazakhstan

A new joint-venture in the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan could be Eurocopter's key to unlocking not only the markets of Central Asia, but also Russia.

Kazakhstan is arguably the best economic gateway into Russia, thanks to the Customs Union pact among Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia that does away with tariffs and import duties on goods exported within the group.

Aerospace, meanwhile, is a high-tech industry that Kazakhstan's government is seeking to tap in an effort to diversify the country's economy beyond oil, gas and other commodities. Kazakhstan has a genuine need for aircraft, as it covers 2.72 million sq. km (1 million sq. mi.), about the size of Western Europe.

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