Kazakhstan international economic and diplomatic expansion

Kazakhstan has been actively expanding its economic, energy, and institutional ties with various international partners.

In early October, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with UK officials to discuss cooperation in energy, transport, logistics, digitalization, and artificial intelligence, following an 83% rise in bilateral trade during 2025. Concurrently, Kazakhstan and Italy held intergovernmental sessions focused on energy supply diversification and infrastructure development, positioning Kazakhstan as a strategic partner for European energy security.

By late October, these efforts extended to Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. Kazakhstan signed memorandums with Switzerland valued at approximately $46 million covering trade, manufacturing, and commercial real estate, while also highlighting the Middle Corridor transport route. Additionally, a memorandum of understanding was established with Saudi Arabia to enhance cooperation on integrity and anti-corruption efforts through information exchange and institutional capacity building.

In late October 2026, Kazakhstan shifted focus toward expanding agricultural exports to the African continent, specifically targeting East and North African markets. In Kenya, diplomatic discussions have centered on exporting wheat, flour, and food processing products, noting that Kenya imported 2.2 million tonnes of wheat and meslin valued at $613 million in 2025. In North Africa, Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov met with Libya’s Agriculture and Livestock Minister Abdel Latif Al-Tahir to discuss market access and supply chains for grain, beef, and lamb. These initiatives follow previous outreach to Malawi in September 2026 and leverage Kazakhstan’s significant agricultural capacity, including grain harvests exceeding 27 million tonnes.