BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 15. Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia increased by 2.9 times in January-April of 2026, exceeding $6.1 million, the Government of Kazakhstan says.
The announcement was made during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef, who arrived in Astana to participate in the Astana Mining & Metallurgy 2026 congress.
It was noted that in 2025, mutual trade between the two countries increased by 17%, reaching $11.7 million. Saudi Arabia remains one of Kazakhstan’s key trade and economic partners in the Middle East. Over the past 20 years, Saudi Arabia’s total foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan amounted to $115.3 million.
The sides emphasized that the agreements signed in February this year - the establishment of the Kazakhstan–Saudi Coordination Council and the Agreement on mutual promotion and protection of investments - create additional opportunities for new joint initiatives.
The meeting focused on further development of cooperation in the mining and metallurgical sector, as well as prospects for joint projects in critical minerals. Discussions covered cooperation in exploration, extraction, and processing of natural resources, along with the development of high-value-added production.
The participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the mining and critical minerals industries.
Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia have been steadily developing their partnership across political, economic, and multilateral dimensions. According to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Saudi Arabia, the two countries maintain active cooperation within international organizations, including the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and continue to align positions on key global and regional issues. Saudi Arabia has supported several Kazakhstan-led initiatives, including the country’s candidacy for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2017–2018, accession to the WTO, and the EXPO-2017 international exhibition.
