BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 22. The UK sees potential for cooperation with Kazakhstan not only in mineral extraction, but also in mineral processing and the production of high value-added products, UK Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia Lord John Alderdice said.
According to the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, Alderdice made the remarks during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev, where the sides discussed bilateral trade, expansion of Kazakh exports, industrial cooperation, investment, and scientific and educational ties.
“Kazakhstan has significant natural resources, but it is particularly important that you are setting the task not to limit yourselves to their extraction, but to create added value and develop processing. This is where we see great opportunities for cooperation,” Lord John Alderdice said.
Particular attention during the meeting was paid to critical minerals and opportunities to develop processing industries in Kazakhstan. Alderdice also noted the potential for cooperation between British companies, universities and research centers and Kazakh organizations in mining, mineral processing and the nuclear industry.
Shakkaliyev noted that Kazakhstan, in turn, is interested in diversifying the structure of bilateral trade and increasing exports of higher value-added products. The country’s current exports to the UK mainly include silver, crude oil, copper and copper cathodes.
“It is important for us to move from the growth achieved to deeper and more diversified trade. First of all, we are interested in expanding exports of Kazakh products to the British market beyond raw materials,” Shakkaliyev said.
To support this goal, the minister proposed organizing a trade and economic mission of British importers and representatives of retail chains to Kazakhstan to establish direct contacts with local producers.
The sides also discussed British market requirements for the quality, certification, packaging and standards of potential Kazakh export products.
Investment cooperation was another focus of the meeting. The sides considered opportunities for attracting British investment to Kazakhstan’s manufacturing industry, energy, logistics and high-tech sectors, as well as expanding direct contacts between companies of the two countries.
The meeting also covered cooperation in standardization, export promotion, science and education. Kazakhstan expressed interest in exchanging experience with the UK Institute of Export and International Trade and further developing cooperation between KazStandard and the British Standards Institution (BSI).
The sides also discussed preparing Kazakh exporters for carbon regulations, including the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Following the meeting, the sides confirmed their interest in moving toward specific trade, investment, industrial and scientific projects, as well as expanding direct contacts between businesses and relevant organizations.
Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the UK amounted to $1.63 billion in 2025, increasing by 83.7% compared with 2024. In January-July 2026, bilateral trade reached $1.25 billion, up 68.5% compared with the same period of 2025.
