A joint visit was made on November 7-8 by the Ambassadors of Central Asia to Styria, which is also known as the “Green Heart of Austria,” as part of the plan of the Embassy for the development of economic diplomacy with the regions of Austria.

Very productive meetings were held during the trip with the Minister of Economy, Tourism, European and International Relations, Research and Science of Styria, Ms. Barbara Eibinger-Miedle, City Councilor of Graz, Mr. Kurt Hohensinner, Director of the Chamber of Commerce of Styria, Mr. Karl Heinz Dernoscheg, Director of the Austrian Technological Corporation Mr. Tino Terraneo.

On the first day of their stay in Graz, the ambassadors of the Central Asian countries visited the headquarters of Austria's leading IT company Bit-media E-solutions GmbH, EEE Group. Managing directors Manfred Brandner and Stefan Duess presented the company's activities in Central Asia.

“EEE Group” - includes 7 companies with 40 years of history, 20 years of international experience, implementation of projects in 20 countries. The company’s products are used by Austrian government bodies and institutes, financial organizations (Unicredit, Raiffeisen) and international manufacturing giants such as Daimler, Siemens, Rheinmetall, etc.

On the second day of the visit, there were meetings with the Andritz Group executives, as well as a visit to the company's production facilities located in Graz and Weiz.

Andritz Group is one of the world leaders in the field of hydropower, pulp and paper industry, metal processing and metallurgy. The headquarters of the group is located in Graz and has an almost 170-year history, about 29,700 employees and more than 280 branches in more than 40 countries. In Kyrgyzstan, the company already has experience in construction of mini-hydropower stations.

During the meetings, the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic B. Dzhusupov presented the economic potential of Kyrgyzstan and the investment climate of the country. It was especially noted that in Kyrgyzstan there is the most liberal regime for foreign investors. In addition, promising opportunities for opening foreign joint ventures in the country were emphasized, taking into account membership in the EAEU, the proximity to the PRC, and also the growing economic interaction of the Central Asian countries. Austrian partners were also provided with materials in the form of magazines, booklets and CDs on the existing potential of Kyrgyzstan in trade and economic terms and separately about the country's tourism opportunities.

 

Landscape

58% of the 16,440 km² of Styria are forested. The cultivation of pumpkins, then apples and wine grape varieties plays a significant role in the region's agriculture.

Population size

More than 1,240,000 people live in Styria, of which 280,000 are in the capital of Styria, Graz. Styrians have an average of 1.61 children per family. The average life expectancy of men is 79.2 years, and that of women is 84.1 years.

Economy

The largest sector of the economy in Styria is the service sector, which accounts for 66.8% of the total economically active population. 27.8% work in industry and commerce, 5.4% in agriculture and forestry. In 2017 alone, the Styrians created more than 6,200 new businesses.

In 2016, Styria's gross product amounted to 44.283 billion euros. Thanks to R&D of 5.16%, Styria is not only a leader in all Austrian federal provinces, but also one of the best in Europe.

Immigration

In 2017, more than 15,600 people moved to Austria's Green Heart, most of whom chose Graz as their new home. The largest share of immigrants is made up of citizens from EU countries, especially from Romania, Germany, Croatia and Hungary.

Education

Currently, over 60,000 students are studying at Styrian universities and universities of applied sciences.