Kazakhstan and UK Strengthen Strategic Ties Across Key Industries

The partnership and cooperation agreement between Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom has opened new prospects for deepening cooperation in critical minerals, green energy and climate, transport and logistics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, education, and financial partnerships.

This was announced at the 11th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation on April 30 in London, The Caspian Post reports citing Kazakh media.

According to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service, the delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov, and the UK delegation was headed by Douglas Alexander, Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security at the Department for Business and Trade.

Kuantyrov emphasized that the UK is one of Kazakhstan’s key trading partners and top investors, with total foreign direct investments exceeding $22 billion.

“We greatly value the UK’s contribution to the development of Kazakhstan’s key industries and are committed to building a next-level partnership - focused on investment, technology, and knowledge transfer,” he said.

Several bilateral documents were signed during the meeting, including the Protocol of the Intergovernmental Commission, a Roadmap for cooperation in agriculture, as well as memorandums on collaboration in water resource management and the localization of biopharmaceuticals in Kazakhstan in partnership with AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca’s partnership aims to expand innovation in Kazakhstan’s healthcare system and support government initiatives. The launch of contract manufacturing of the first batch of AstraZeneca’s original drugs is expected in Kazakhstan this month. Since 2022, the company has invested over 3.5 billion tenge (US$6.7 million) in Kazakhstan’s healthcare sector.

For the first time in bilateral history, the Kazakh delegation visited the Discovery Centre (DISC), the largest research and innovation centre of AstraZeneca, in Cambridge. The visit focused on exploring best practices in scientific innovation, drug development, and clinical trials.