On October 21, 2026, Kazakhstan opened its Cultural and Business Center in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen, Qazinform News Agency reports. One of the key areas of the Center will be the promotion of home-produced metallurgical, agro-industrial, food, and chemical products to the markets of Switzerland and other countries.
The Center will help establish direct contacts between Kazakhstani producers, foreign importers, and distribution networks and develop investment cooperation. Another area will be popularization of the history and culture of Kazakhstan. The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Arman Shakkaliyev, representatives of the Canton of Schaffhausen, Kazakhstan’s Embassy in Switzerland, JSC QazTrade, as well as Kazakhstani and Swiss business communities.
Addressing the attendees, Shakkaliyev noted Kazakhstan’s interest in expanding economic cooperation with Switzerland, including attraction of technologies, development of production competencies, and implementation of long-term joint projects. Director General of JSC QazTrade Nurlan Kulbatyrov presented the country’s export and investment potential and the existing instruments for supporting domestic producers seeking to enter the Swiss market.
President of Eurasia AG Mustafa Sahin informed the attendees about the goals of opening the Center and its role in the establishment of direct contacts between the two countries' entrepreneurs. Officials of the Canton of Schaffhausen outlined promising prospects of cooperation with Kazakhstan in business, agriculture, and agricultural product processing.
The event also focused on the opportunities of development of scientific, educational and cultural ties. Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Switzerland Kairat Sarzhanov presented the main indicators of the bilateral economic cooperation. Since 2005, the amount of Swiss investments in Kazakhstan exceeded $36.5 billion.
In 2005, trade turnover between the two countries hit $1.5 billion. The Cultural and Business Center of Kazakhstan in Switzerland was opened on the initiative of Eurasia Group. Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan and Switzerland had signed cooperation memoranda with an estimated combined value of 46 million US dollars following a business forum in Zurich, with agreements focusing on trade, commercial real estate and industrial cooperation.