NEW DELHI – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to participate in the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 12-13, with Kazakhstan seeking to advance cooperation in energy, critical minerals, transport connectivity and global water security. India is hosting the summit under the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
BRICS is a group of eleven major emerging markets and developing countries of the world. They include Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, representing almost half of the world’s population and 40% of the global GDP.
Priorities of Kazakhstan, which joined the group as a partner country in 2025, were presented by Kazakh Ambassador to India Azamat Eskarayev at the BRICS Energy Partnerships for Progress and Prosperity diplomatic dialogue in New Delhi on Sept. 3. Energy security was among the central topics of the meeting.
Participants discussed traditional and renewable energy, new technologies, infrastructure, investment and critical minerals. Particular attention was given to resilient supply chains and emerging energy and transport corridors. For Kazakhstan, the agenda closely aligns with its efforts to strengthen its role in Eurasian transport and energy connectivity.
Eskarayev emphasized the country’s potential in traditional energy, renewable energy and critical minerals. The discussion was not focused on a single project or agreement but on areas Kazakhstan intends to promote through the BRICS partnership. Separately, Yeskarayev highlighted Tokayev’s initiative to establish an International Water Organization under the auspices of the United Nations.
The initiative calls for stronger international coordination on water resources and seeks to bring greater political attention to global water security. Kazakhstan has previously presented the proposal in other international forums, including the United Nations.
According to Aidar Kurmashev, head of the Asian Studies Department at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan (KazISS), the initiative could gain practical value if it is accompanied by cooperation on water technologies and management.
He suggested that Kazakhstan could develop pilot projects for arid regions involving satellite monitoring of water resources, digital irrigation management, wastewater reuse and specialist training. “Kazakhstan could offer its territory for pilot projects involving Indian, Chinese and Emirati companies.
Then the idea of an international water organization will gain a practical dimension, and potential partners will see specific facilities, technology needs and a possible financing model,” Kurmashev told The Astana Times. From critical minerals to concrete projects