This fall, King Philippe of Belgium will pay his first-ever state visit to Kazakhstan, at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. It will be the first time in history that a Belgian sovereign travels on an official visit to the Central Asian country since diplomatic relations were established in 1992.
The upcoming state visit of King Philippe is set to be a landmark in relations between the two countries. According to the Kazakh authorities, it will be the first state visit by a Belgian monarch to Kazakhstan since diplomatic relations were established in 1992.
The visit was announced during the meeting between President Tokayev and Prime Minister Bart De Wever in Brussels in June 2026, where the Kazakh head of state stressed that he attached “exceptional importance” to the King’s forthcoming visit. On Aug. 8, King Philippe confirmed his intention in a message to President Tokayev, replying to the latter’s greetings on the occasion of Belgium’s National Day (July 21).
The sovereign expressed his gratitude and said he was “looking forward” to his state visit to Astana later in the year. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and King Philippe of Belgium during the official visit of the President of Kazakhstan to Belgium November 25, 2021.
Photo credit: Akorda. Long before ascending the throne, King Philippe already knew Kazakhstan well. As Crown Prince, he visited the country on three occasions — in 2002, 2009 and 2010 — leading economic missions. When Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Roman Vassilenko presented his credentials at Laeken Palace in September 2025, the King warmly recalled “the most memorable impressions” he retained of the country, its culture and its development potential.
This personal experience lends a special dimension to the visit: more than a protocol event, it reflects a shared will to deepen an already solid partnership and give it fresh momentum. Thirty-four years of diplomatic relations Belgium recognized Kazakhstan’s independence on Dec.
31, 1991, and diplomatic relations were formally established on Aug. 25, 1992. Kazakhstan opened its embassy in Brussels in 1993, while Belgium established its embassy in Astana in 2006, further structuring bilateral relations and facilitating political and economic dialogue at all levels.
Under President Nursultan Nazarbayev, high-level contacts multiplied: the first president paid nine official and working visits to Belgium between 1993 and 2018. In December 2006, he received Belgium’s highest distinction, the Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold, from King Albert II.
In 2010, a monument dedicated to the victims of nuclear testing — inspired by the “Stronger than Death” memorial in Semei — was inaugurated in Ypres, a city emblematic of the memory of both World Wars. The dialogue has deepened further in recent years. In June 2026, President Tokayev’s visit to Brussels marked a new milestone: beyond his meeting with Prime Minister De Wever, a business forum produced around 30 commercial agreements worth roughly 10 billion euros with European companies.
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot separately received his Kazakh counterpart at the Egmont Palace, marking 20 years of the Belgian embassy in Astana. Kazakhstan: Belgium’s key partner in Central Asia Kazakhstan stands as Belgium’s primary economic and commercial partner in Central Asia.