BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith paid his first-ever official visit to Kazakhstan on September 3–4, 2026, marking a historic milestone in bilateral relations. One of the key topics of the talks was the expansion of trade and economic cooperation as well as the development of transport connectivity.
In recent years, Kazakhstan, under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s leadership, has been consistently strengthening its role as one of Eurasia’s major transit hubs by developing infrastructure, expanding international routes, and creating conditions for deeper integration between Asia and Europe. This strategic course is opening new opportunities not only for Kazakhstan itself but also for its partners, including Laos.
For Laos, cooperation with Kazakhstan could be important not only from the perspective of increasing bilateral trade but also as an opportunity to expand access to Central Asian and European markets. Kazakhstan, in turn, is interested in promoting its own products in Southeast Asia and developing new transport routes.
During the talks, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted significant potential for increasing supplies of Kazakh goods to the Lao market. These include products from the metallurgical, food, petrochemical, agricultural, chemical, machinery, and pharmaceutical industries.
Thus, one of the initial areas of cooperation could be the expansion of the range of Kazakh exports to Laos. At the same time, Astana’s strategic interest goes beyond bilateral trade — Kazakhstan continues to implement initiatives aimed at turning the country into an important transport link connecting major economic regions.
"We see an opportunity to use our transport corridors for access of Lao products to the markets of Central Asia and Europe. Kazakhstan is interested in expanding supplies of its products to Southeast Asian markets through Laos. At the same time, we highly appreciate Laos’ achievements in transforming from a ‘landlocked country’ into a ‘land-linked country’ of Southeast Asia. The Laos–China railway has significantly strengthened the country’s transit potential and opened new opportunities for connecting ASEAN with China and Europe," Tokayev said.
For Laos, Kazakhstan’s potential role lies primarily in its transport capabilities. In recent years, Kazakhstan has significantly expanded its infrastructure base along key routes, including the Chinese direction, the development of Khorgos, and the establishment of logistics infrastructure at the Kazakhstan–China terminal in the port of Lianyungang, which provides access to international maritime routes.
This infrastructure has become a result of Kazakhstan’s long-term policy aimed at developing transit potential, which President Tokayev has identified as one of the country’s economic priorities. In the future, these capabilities could also be used to facilitate the movement of Lao goods toward western markets.
A potential cargo chain could connect Laos with Kazakhstan through China and then continue toward Central Asia and Europe. However, this remains a prospective route, as there is currently no fully established direct transport corridor between Kazakhstan and Laos.
At the same time, Kazakhstan could gain an opportunity to expand its presence in Southeast Asia through Laos. In 2021, the Laos–China railway was launched, connecting Laos with China’s railway network. In spring 2026, Laos approved the first stage of the Laos–Vietnam railway project, with its launch tentatively planned for 2030.
The development of such routes corresponds with Kazakhstan’s approach to building a diversified transport policy, through which the country seeks to strengthen ties simultaneously with China, Central Asian states, Europe, and Southeast Asian countries.
One of the key outcomes of this approach has been the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). Over the past five years, cargo volumes along the route have increased 5.6 times — from 800,000 tonnes to 4.5 million tonnes. Kazakhstan’s ports of Aktau and Kuryk are being expanded, while new terminals are being built and existing facilities upgraded.
By 2030, Kazakhstan plans to increase the combined capacity of its maritime ports from 21.8 million tonnes to 30 million tonnes, while by 2029 the national fleet is expected to receive eight new vessels, including bulk carriers and container ships.
In this context, President Tokayev’s initiatives to develop transport connectivity are enabling Kazakhstan to create new opportunities not only for its own economy but also for partners seeking access to major international markets.
For Laos, Kazakhstan could become an additional channel for reaching Central Asian and European markets, while Laos could serve as a potential link for Kazakhstan’s expansion into Southeast Asia.
However, turning these opportunities into sustainable cargo flows will require concrete agreements.
"I propose that our governments focus on concluding relevant intergovernmental and interagency agreements in the field of transport and logistics," Tokayev said.
The practical implementation of these agreements will determine how quickly Kazakhstan–Laos cooperation can move from political statements to regular trade and transport operations. At the same time, Kazakhstan’s course toward developing transit infrastructure, promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is already creating the foundation for new economic ties between Asia and Europe.
