On 13 March in Astana, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murat Nurtleu, held talks with European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela, who is on a diplomatic tour of Central Asian countries.
The discussions focused on the implementation of projects in key areas of bilateral and regional cooperation, including transport and logistics, critical raw materials, green energy, digitalization, climate change, and space exploration.
Following the negotiations, two significant agreements were signed.
The first one is a EUR 200 million framework loan agreement between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK). This loan will be supported by an EU guarantee of EUR 18 million. This funding will be instrumental in supporting investments in sustainable transport and renewable energy, in line with the objectives of the Global Gateway flagship programmes on the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and the Team Europe Initiative on Water, Energy, and Climate Change.
The second one is an agreement between the European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support projects in the critical raw materials sector in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, valued at EUR 3 million.
The parties emphasized their commitment to enhancing multifaceted cooperation within the framework of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which covers 29 areas of collaboration. They also reaffirmed their dedication to advancing the EU Strategy for Central Asia.
The European Union remains Kazakhstan’s largest trade and investment partner. In 2024, trade turnover reached US $ 49.7 billion, marking a 16.9% increase. The gross inflow of direct investments from EU countries between 2005 and September 2024 totaled US $ 200.7 billion, accounting for 47.8% of Kazakhstan’s total gross foreign direct investments. Over 3,000 companies with European participation currently operate in Kazakhstan.///nCa, 14 March 2025