ASTANA – Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will make their first state visit to Kazakhstan on Oct. 11-14, bringing a high-level government, business and academic delegation to talks on critical minerals, transport routes, health care and artificial intelligence as the two countries seek to expand economic ties.
The visit, the first Belgian state visit to Central Asia, comes as Europe looks to diversify critical raw material supplies and strengthen transport links with the region. For Kazakhstan, closer ties with Belgium offer access to European technology, investment and logistics expertise as Astana works to broaden its economic partnerships and reduce its dependence on traditional export routes.
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. Photo credit: Belgian Royal Palace The royal couple will visit Astana, where they are scheduled to meet President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, before travelling to Almaty. They will be accompanied by a 110-member delegation, including senior Belgian government officials, 25 business executives and academic representatives.
The foreign ministries are also expected to sign a 2026-2029 roadmap, according to an official government release, and the fourth meeting of the Kazakh-Belgian Business Council is also scheduled. “It will provide an opportunity to highlight success stories and explore new forms of cooperation in logistics and agriculture, two areas in which Belgium and Kazakhstan already enjoy close collaboration,” reads Belgium’s official government release.
Philippe previously visited Kazakhstan three times as crown prince, in 2002, 2009 and 2010. This will be his first visit as king. As a crown prince, he travelled to Baikonur cosmodrome in 2002 and 2009 for the launches of Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne’s missions to the International Space Station.
He returned in 2010 to lead an economic mission to the country. The royal visit also reflects a broader effort by Kazakhstan to strengthen European partnerships as geopolitical tensions reshape trade routes, investment decisions and access to strategic resources.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and King Philippe of Belgium during the official visit of the President of Kazakhstan to Belgium in November 2021. Photo credit: Akorda President Tokayev paid an official visit to Brussels in November 2021, which was his first official visit to Europe since the pandemic and his first to Belgium as the country’s president.
He also traveled to Brussels in June and Berlin and Munich in September this year, underscoring Astana’s efforts to translate closer political relations into investment, trade and industrial cooperation. “In the face of current geopolitical challenges, Belgium intends to diversify its partnerships and strengthen its presence in a region that offers significant strategic opportunities.
It wishes to deepen its cooperation with Kazakhstan, in order to build a more sustainable, resilient and prosperous future together,” reads an official Belgium government release. Belgium’s trade with Kazakhstan has also grown over the past several years, although the latest figures show uneven momentum.
Bilateral trade reached $582.4 million in 2025, up nearly 28% from the previous year, according to the Kazakh government. Kazakhstan exported $311.5 million in goods to Belgium and imported $270.9 million.