BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 12. The state visit of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium to Kazakhstan on October 11–14 takes place against the backdrop of the European Union’s efforts to diversify its sources of strategic raw materials and Kazakhstan’s interest in developing higher value-added industries.
This is the first state visit by a Belgian monarch to Kazakhstan and follows Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Brussels on June 22–23, 2026, less than four months earlier. The program also includes the fourth meeting of the Kazakhstan-Belgium Business Council, established in 2023.
Economic relations between the two countries have strengthened considerably in recent years. According to the Belgian Foreign Ministry, bilateral trade increased from 220 million euros in 2016 to 765 million euros in 2025. Belgium ranks sixth among the countries investing directly in Kazakhstan, with more than 100 Belgian companies operating in the Kazakh market across the chemical, biopharmaceutical and energy sectors.
Kazakhstan possesses reserves of raw materials essential to European industry, while Belgium has expertise in their processing and recycling. This complementarity is particularly relevant to the European Union’s interest in establishing reliable partnerships across the entire production chain, from extraction to processing. For its part, Kazakhstan seeks to attract investors prepared to establish processing facilities within the country rather than focus exclusively on the purchase of raw materials.
The economic capabilities of the two countries are largely complementary. Kazakhstan offers a resource base and locations for industrial facilities, while Belgium contributes processing and recycling technologies, as well as developed port infrastructure that provides access to the European market. One potential model of cooperation would involve the initial processing of raw materials in Kazakhstan, followed by further processing in Europe. The specific arrangement would depend on investment terms and future contractual agreements.
Logistics is also among the promising areas of cooperation. In September, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Belgium Roman Vassilenko and Wim Dillen, Director of International Development at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, discussed developing direct links with the ports of Aktau and Kuryk. The sides considered the digitalization of port infrastructure, the introduction of smart solutions, specialist training and the possibility of using Antwerp as a European logistics hub for Kazakh metals, critical raw materials, petrochemical products and agricultural goods. The possibility of concluding a framework agreement between the ports is also under discussion.
Interest in this area is linked to the EU's efforts to diversify transport routes and find alternative logistics corridors across Eurasia. Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Belgium could cover not only cargo handling but also the exchange of expertise in port management, digitalization and workforce training. For Astana, the additional economic benefits will depend on the development of warehouses, distribution centers and facilities for processing goods along the transport route.
The strengthening of ties with Belgium comes amid the expansion of Kazakhstan's cooperation with the European Union. The main areas of engagement include critical raw materials, energy, transport and digital technologies. A separate focus is the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which connects Central Asia with European markets via the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus.
At the same time, Astana continues to develop economic relations with China, Russia, the United States and other partners. This approach is consistent with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's multi-vector foreign policy, which involves cooperation with different centers of the global economy without excessive dependence on any single direction.
The outcome of cooperation with Belgium will depend on whether the two sides can move from agreements to concrete projects. The establishment of processing facilities, the development of port links, and the opening of new industrial enterprises in Kazakhstan will make it possible to assess the partnership's practical benefits. For Astana, it is essential that expanding economic ties with Europe not only boosts exports but also contributes to the development of domestic production.
