ASTANA. September 3. KAZINFORM Kazakh Minister of Finance Bolat Zhamishev and head of the Swiss Federal Department of Finance Hans-Rudolf Merz has met in the Ministry of Finance in Astana today; the Ministry's press service reports.

There was signed a Protocol between the Government of Kazakhstan and the Swiss Federal Council on double taxation avoidance and a Memorandum of mutual understanding and cooperation in the Bretton Woods Institutions.

Signing of the Protocol on double taxation avoidance is aimed at ensuring stable tax relations, double taxation elimination, information exchange, investment climate improvement and tuning up of closer economic ties between the two states.

"Kazakhstan is the second after Russia partner on the volumes of foreign trade for Switzerland. 37 joint Kazakh-Swiss enterprises function in Kazakhstan", B.Zhamishev said.

Hans-Rudolf Merz, in his turn, noted necessity of this meeting for both countries. "Kazakhstan is one of the important partners of Switzerland among the Central Asian states", he resumed.