BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 22. The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is paying an official visit to Brussels on June 22–23 at the invitation of the President of the European Council António Costa. The program includes talks with Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, as well as a roundtable with heads of major European companies.
Notably, alongside negotiations with EU leadership, the program also includes a separate meeting with European business representatives. This indicates that the visit is focused not only on political dialogue but also on advancing economic cooperation and attracting investment.
Tokayev’s visit comes amid intensified contacts between Kazakhstan and European countries. Thus, on June 18-20, Montenegro President Jakov Milatović made a historic first visit to Astana. Montenegro is an EU candidate country, and the development of dialogue with Podgorica can be seen as part of Kazakhstan’s broader course toward expanding its European foreign policy direction—both through engagement with EU institutions and individual European states.
The European Union remains Kazakhstan’s largest trade partner and investor. According to official statements, over the past 20 years total European investment has exceeded 200 billion euros, and around 80% of all EU trade with Central Asian countries is accounted for by Kazakhstan. According to the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan, in January–April 2026 the EU’s share in Kazakhstan’s foreign trade turnover amounted to 27.7%, or 12.4 billion dollars.
However, the interests of both sides go beyond standard trade. In 2022, Kazakhstan and the EU signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of sustainable raw materials, batteries, and “green” hydrogen. For Europe, this is part of its policy to diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on a limited number of strategic resource suppliers. Against this backdrop, Kazakhstan—rich in uranium, lithium, and rare earth metals—represents significant interest for the EU.
In turn, Kazakhstan can leverage Europe’s interest to attract deeper participation of advanced Western companies in production chains and gradually increase the share of higher value-added products instead of exporting only raw materials.
Another important area of cooperation is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). The EU is investing in the modernization of the Aktau port and the reconstruction of roads in Kazakhstan. This shows that the European Union views the country as a key partner in developing regional transport connectivity. The EU has previously also announced plans to allocate 10 billion euros for the development of the TITR. For Kazakhstan, this means increased transit flows, higher transport revenues, and stronger transport infrastructure.
Cooperation in digitalization is also expanding. Under the Global Gateway program, the EU plans to allocate around 12 billion euros for Central Asia—for satellite communications, internet infrastructure development, and cybersecurity. Kazakhstan, in turn, has proposed establishing an “Central Asia–EU Innovation Campus” based at Astana Hub.
Thus, the talks in Brussels are taking place against the backdrop of accelerating rapprochement between Kazakhstan and the EU, largely driven by shifts in the global economy and politics in recent years. Europe’s interest in Kazakhstan as a supplier of raw materials, a transport corridor partner, and a participant in digital projects has intensified amid the EU’s efforts to diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on individual markets. For Kazakhstan, this presents an opportunity not only to increase exports and transit potential, but also to integrate more deeply into higher value-added production and technology chains.
