ASTANA – Relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union have reached a state of positive intensity, fueled by high-level diplomacy and a momentum in regional investment, Lithuania’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Egidijus Navikas said in an interview with The Astana Times.
Lithuania’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Egidijus Navikas. Photo credit: The Astana Times / Nargiz Raimbekova The ambassador described the trajectory over the past three decades as a gradual but steady intensification of the ties. “The relations are quite intense, in a positive way, intense,” said Navikas.
“A big aspect is economic cooperation. The EU, overall, is the biggest investor in Kazakhstan, as well as the biggest trade partner of Kazakhstan,” he said, adding that maintaining this status while located between Russia and China is a fact that is “quite telling.” A notable illustration of that deepening engagement is the frequency of high-level visits.
Navikas noted that more than 10 heads of state from EU member countries visited Kazakhstan over the past year, reflecting growing engagement between the two sides. At the same time, Kazakhstan’s leadership has maintained regular contacts with Brussels, underscoring a mutual commitment to strengthening ties.
“That is also very important to maintain,” he said. “What is also good is whenever there are some kind of different points of view on some questions, there is also always constructive dialogue and the issues can be constructively addressed and discussed.” Despite a challenging geopolitical climate that has dampened turnover in the last three years, the ambassador described trade between the two nations as “impressive,” anchored heavily by the logistics sector.
Egidijus Navikas and Assel Satubaldina during a conversation. Photo credit: The Astana Times / Nargiz Raimbekova According to figures from the Bureau of National Statistics, trade between Kazakhstan and Lithuania hit $140 million in 2025, narrowing from $152 million in 2024.
That’s a notable plunge from $585.9 million recorded in 2022. “One of the most important areas is transport and logistics, including the Trans-Caspian Corridor. (…) There are Lithuanian companies investing in Kazakhstan in the area of transport and logistics. This, of course, means also the trade, because this is about bringing goods here and there,” Navikas explained.
Kazakh companies are encouraged to utilize the Port of Klaipeda on the Baltic Sea. “It is in our interest that it is used by Kazakh trade companies, mostly those about grain, that you have a lot, and export to Europe as well,” he added.