ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s balanced foreign policy, advances in artificial intelligence and institutional reforms offer valuable lessons for Brazil, while cooperation in critical minerals, energy and logistics could strengthen ties between the two countries, said Márcio Coimbra, director of Casa Política and president of the Monitor da Democracia Institute, in an interview with The Astana Times.
Márcio Coimbra. Photo credit: Márcio Coimbra’s personal archive. Coimbra is visiting Central Asia for the first time, with plans to travel to the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan before continuing to the Caucasus. He said the region’s rapid development and growing geopolitical importance deserve greater attention in Latin America.
“But it’s a part of the world that Latin America doesn’t look at with the right attention. And it calls my attention because it’s becoming very developed very fast here,” he said. Kazakhstan’s balanced diplomacy offers lessons for Brazil Coimbra identified Kazakhstan’s ability to maintain constructive relations with major global powers as one of the country’s most valuable experiences for Brazil.
He described Kazakhstan’s approach as balancing Beijing, Brussels and Washington while prioritizing national economic interests. “Because then you put your economic interests first and Kazakhstan first,” he said. Coimbra said Brazil could apply similar principles to its own foreign policy.
He also emphasized the need to strengthen ties between Brazil and Kazakhstan, which share challenges and opportunities as middle powers. Cooperation in critical minerals, AI and energy