ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Belgium have agreed to strengthen cooperation in strategic industries, transport connectivity, education and innovation following talks between Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot on June 23 during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Brussels.
Yermek Kosherbayev and Maxime Prévot. Photo credit: Kazakh Foreign Ministry. The officials discussed opportunities to deepen political dialogue, expand trade, investment and humanitarian ties, and advance cooperation in transport and logistics. Particular attention was paid to strengthening the transit potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
Kosherbayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s readiness to create favorable conditions for the implementation of joint projects and the expansion of business contacts, reported Kazinform. The ministers also highlighted strong potential for cooperation in education, science and innovation.
Belgium’s leading institutions, including KU Leuven, Ghent University and IMEC, have expressed interest in developing partnerships with Kazakhstan. They exchanged views on regional and global topics and explored prospects for cooperation within multilateral platforms, expressing mutual interest in advancing joint initiatives in priority areas.
Prévot said it had been a very interesting first contact and noted that he had decided to make Central Asia one of the top priorities of Belgian diplomacy. He emphasized that Kazakhstan is the largest country in the region and the only Central Asian state where Belgium currently has an embassy, adding that Belgium plans to open another embassy in Uzbekistan in the coming months.
“We have lots of opportunities to work in semiconductors, the energy sector, of course, defense sector, nuclear power plants. We also intend to develop our own strategy. So we can count on critical raw materials of Kazakhstan. I think that we will really have good outcomes of this visit and it will be only the beginning of very good and strong stories between our two countries.
Belgium is the gateway to Europe, and I am sure that Kazakhstan will be the gateway to Central Asia,” he said. Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Belgium increased by 27.6% in 2025 to reach $582.4 million. Gross inflows of Belgian foreign direct investment totaled $1.044 billion last year, while 110 enterprises with Belgian capital currently operate in Kazakhstan.