Kazakhstan, Belgium Focus on Strengthening Political, Economic, and Technological Ties

Kazakhstan and Belgium have discussed a broad range of issues related to bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The talks were held between Kazakh Ambassador to Belgium, Roman Vassilenko, and Birgit Stevens, Director General for Bilateral Relations at the Belgian Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Development Cooperation, The Caspian Post informs via Kazakh media.

Both sides highlighted the dynamic cooperation in political, economic, and parliamentary spheres and emphasized their commitment to enhancing the bilateral agenda with practical and substantive initiatives ahead of upcoming high-level visits.

Ambassador Vassilenko briefed the Belgian delegation on key points from Kazakhstan’s annual State of the Nation Address delivered by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, focusing on artificial intelligence and digital transformation, including the establishment of a Ministry for AI.

The Belgian side expressed strong interest in Kazakhstan’s strategic goals, including the expansion of critical and rare earth material processing, green growth initiatives, water resource management, and satellite-based environmental monitoring. Kazakhstan’s plans to develop its transport and transit potential, particularly via the Middle Corridor, were also highlighted.

Both parties recognized Belgium’s expertise in the space sector, noting Aerospacelab’s plans to produce around 500 satellites annually, and agreed to explore opportunities for closer cooperation in this field.

Birgit Stevens welcomed Kazakhstan’s priorities and expressed interest in further dialogue on digitalization, sustainable development, critical raw materials, and other areas of mutual interest.

Bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Belgium reached $299.2 million in January-July 2025. In 2024, trade turnover totaled $456 million (exports: $210 million; imports: $246 million). The gross inflow of Belgian direct investment into Kazakhstan in 2024 amounted to $1.206 billion, while total investment from 2005 to 2024 reached $13.95 billion. Currently, 76 enterprises with Belgian capital operate in Kazakhstan.