Kazakhstan UAE trade pact

Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates are reported to have signed an agreement to increase trade and encourage mutual investment.

The accord -- reached during President Nazarbayev's tour of the UAE and Qatar -- also provides for the recruitment of Kazakh labour in the UAE workforce.

The Emirates' Economy and Commerce Minister Sheikh Fahim al-Qassimi said Kazakhstan presented multi-billion-dollar investment opportunities in oil, minerals, agriculture and light industries.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service