Tokayev Heads to Brussels as Kazakhstan and EU Seek Progress on Trade, Minerals and Transport

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Brussels on June 22 seeking to advance cooperation with the European Union on critical minerals, transport connectivity, investment, and visa facilitation, as Kazakhstan and the EU move from framework agreements toward implementation. Tokayev’s official visit brings him together with the European Union's two senior institutional leaders and Belgium's prime minister. Tokayev is scheduled to meet European Council President António Costa at 7 p.m. on Monday. A joint meeting with Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set for Tuesday. His program also includes Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and a Kazakhstan-EU roundtable with senior European business executives. The announced agenda covers the enhanced partnership, bilateral ties and international issues. The business roundtable will focus on investment, trade and joint projects. Ahead of the meetings, Tokayev set out three priorities for the next phase of relations: “strengthening resilience, expanding connectivity of all kinds, and creating new opportunities for citizens.” He linked them to energy and food security, critical raw materials, the Middle Corridor, artificial intelligence, easier travel, education and research. The visit follows a year of closer ties. The EU and the five Central Asian states raised their relationship to a strategic partnership at the Samarkand summit in April 2025. Costa then visited Astana in December. Those meetings placed critical minerals, transport, energy, digital links and easier travel at the center of cooperation. A Partnership Built on the EPCA The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement gives the relationship its legal basis. Kazakhstan and the EU signed it in 2015, and it entered into force on March 1, 2020, making Kazakhstan the first Central Asian country to conclude such an agreement with the EU. The EPCA covers 29 policy areas, including trade, investment, energy, transport, climate, research, justice, and human rights. The broad range allows both sides to pursue commercial and political work through one framework. The agreement reached its tenth anniversary in December 2025. Before his Astana visit, Costa set a clear goal for the coming years. “The next decade must be defined by implementation: stronger value chains, modernised infrastructure, deeper technological cooperation, and tangible joint projects,” Costa said. Large Volumes, Limited Diversification The EU remained Kazakhstan's main trade and investment partner in 2025. Two-way goods trade totaled €41.4 billion, down 10.7% from 2024. EU imports from Kazakhstan reached €30.8 billion, while EU exports were €10.6 billion. The mix is less balanced. Fuel and mining products accounted for 92% of Kazakh exports to the EU. Machinery, transport equipment and chemicals led European sales to Kazakhstan. That gives the Brussels business roundtable a clear economic focus. Kazakhstan wants more European capital in processing, manufacturing, infrastructure and technology, while European companies want reliable access to energy and raw materials, along with clear investment rules. “We see great opportunities to venture in energy efficiency, critical minerals, digital technologies, and transport connectivity,” Tokayev said after meeting Costa in Astana in December. Critical Minerals Move Closer to Investment The EU and Kazakhstan signed a strategic partnership on...

Kazakhstan Strengthens Position as Central Asia’s Investment Hub, AIFC Head Says

Central Asia is moving beyond its traditional role as a transit corridor and emerging as an investment destination in its own right, according to Renat Bekturov, Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre. He said investors increasingly value transparent institutions, predictable law and capital protection alongside geography and natural resources. Bekturov noted that Kazakhstan remains the European Union’s largest partner in Central Asia, accounting for more than 80% of the EU’s trade with the region. In 2025, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the European Union reached $45.1 billion, while cumulative European investment since 2005 exceeded $200 billion. More than 4,000 companies with European participation operate in the country, including TotalEnergies, Siemens, Airbus and Schneider Electric. The AIFC chief stressed that an important element of this transformation has been Kazakhstan’s new financial infrastructure. Established in 2018 and operating under the principles of English common law, the AIFC, as of 2026, brings together more than 5,600 companies from 90 countries, including more than 730 from Europe. According to the AIFC, more than $21.8 billion in investment has been raised through its platform, and its ecosystem has created more than 10,000 jobs. Bekturov also highlighted the development of the Astana International Exchange, which he said has become a platform for launching new financial instruments, including the region’s first IPO in Chinese yuan, Kazakhstan’s first spot Bitcoin ETF, and what AIX describes as the world’s first spot Solana ETF with staking. Bekturov also emphasized the AIFC’s role in advancing sustainable finance. Through the AIFC Green Finance Centre, Kazakhstan introduced Central Asia’s first national green taxonomy, while about 70% of the country’s green bonds and loans are verified within the center’s ecosystem. Beyond the traditional financial sector, the AIFC is also developing initiatives in mining, Islamic finance, aircraft leasing, digital assets and the creative economy. In Bekturov’s view, Kazakhstan could become a key link between European capital and Central Asia’s growing opportunities in the coming years, particularly in critical minerals, clean energy, logistics and digital infrastructure. “In a world where uncertainty has become part of every deal, trust is becoming one of the most valuable assets,” Bekturov concluded.