ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Laos are seeking to expand trade, investment and transport cooperation as the two countries look to deepen bilateral ties, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during talks with Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith in Astana on Sept.
3, reported Akorda. Tokayev described Sisoulith’s visit as historic, as it marks the first official visit by a Lao president to Kazakhstan. He also noted that 2027 will mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith and the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met on Sept.3 in Astana.
Photo credit: Akorda “Relations between our states are friendly. We cooperate closely on the international stage, primarily within the United Nations. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation for Laos’ support for our initiatives within the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA),” Tokayev said.
He said the visit would give new impetus to bilateral relations and that the two governments would begin implementing the agreements reached during the talks. Tokayev described Laos as an important and reliable partner for Kazakhstan in Southeast Asia, noting its steady economic growth and progress in energy, agriculture, industry and tourism.
“We support expanding trade and economic cooperation with Laos, viewing it as an important foundation for strengthening bilateral ties. We see significant potential for increasing Kazakh exports, particularly in metallurgy, food, petrochemicals, agriculture, chemicals, machinery and pharmaceuticals,” Tokayev said.
According to the TradeReport Telegram channel, Laos’ economy grew by around 4.8% in 2025. Kazakhstan imported $428,000 worth of goods from Laos in January-June 2026, while annual imports have never exceeded $1.4 million. Logistics emerge as a key area of cooperation Transport and logistics could offer another avenue to expand bilateral economic ties, with Tokayev highlighting Laos’ transformation from a landlocked country into a potential regional transit link.
“Kazakhstan has the largest transport network in Central Asia and is actively developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which connects China and Europe. Our country handles around 85% of continental freight traffic between China and Europe,” Tokayev said.
He noted that Kazakh terminals operate at the ports of Batumi in Georgia and Lianyungang in China, while Kazakhstan has also launched a logistics hub in Xi’an, China, whose platform could be used by Lao freight carriers. “We see an opportunity to use our transport corridors to facilitate access for Lao products to Central Asian and European markets.
Kazakhstan is interested in expanding its exports to Southeast Asian markets through Laos,” he said.