South Africa is Interested in Trade and Economic Cooperation with Kazakhstan

As part of an official visit to Baku the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev was received by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the meeting, Minister Kosherbayev conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. "The high level of cooperation between our countries has primarily been achieved through a trusting dialogue at the highest level", Minister noted.

In this context, the mutual state visits of the President Tokayev to Baku in March 2024, the state visit of the President Aliyev to Astana in October 2025, as well as the Second Meeting of the Supreme Interstate Council (SIC) have given new momentum to the allied relations between our countries and contributed to elevating them to a qualitatively new level.

During the talks the parties also discussed current issues on the international agenda. The high level of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan within multilateral frameworks was underscored, along with the importance of continued joint efforts to promote peace and stability.

 

The Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), Margulan Baimukhan, met with Professor Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, at the Commission’s headquarters in Bangkok, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

The meeting focused on preparations for the 82nd session of the Commission to be held from 20 to 24 April 2026 in Bangkok.

Ambassador Baimukhan reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s strong commitment to further strengthening comprehensive cooperation with UN ESCAP, the largest regional commission of the United Nations system in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Singapore Askar Kuttykadam held a working meeting with Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore Jeevan Singh, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

 During the meeting the Kazakh diplomat briefed his counterpart on the historic constitutional reform, which marks the beginning of a qualitatively new stage in Kazakhstan’s development in line with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s vision of building a Just and Progressive Kazakhstan.

The parties noted that political transformations are proceeding in parallel with the comprehensive restructuring of the national economy, including in the framework of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence declared by the Head of State.

The meeting also focused on the current agenda of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including preparations for the next round of inter-ministerial Political Consultations scheduled for the end of April 2026 in Astana.

The Singaporean side was invited to participate in and support Kazakhstan’s key international initiatives, including the Regional Ecological Summit to be held in Astana on 22-24 April 2026, as well as President Tokayev’s initiative to establish an International Water Organization.

Concluding the meeting in a warm and open atmosphere, both sides agreed to maintain close contacts to further strengthen mutually beneficial bilateral partnership, including through high-level reciprocal visits and advancing cooperation in trade and investment.

 

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev visited the headquarters of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (the Foundation) and held talks with its President Aktoty Raimkulova, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current activities of the Foundation, the implementation of prospective projects, as well as topical issues related to the preservation, study and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage.

Particular attention was paid to the opportunities for organizing major international events aimed at presenting Turkic culture in various regions of the world.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on further strengthening the institutional capacity of the Foundation and the need to develop a comprehensive approach to planning its activities in the medium and long term.

 

Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Arab Emirates Rauan Zhumabek held a meeting with the Head of the International Relations Office of the UAE Presidential Court Maryam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mheiri, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

The parties held discussions on the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an active and trust-based political dialogue at high and highest levels, as well as further expanding interagency contacts.

In addition, the interlocutors confirmed the alignment of positions of Kazakhstan and the UAE on key international and regional issues, as well as the high level of coordination within multilateral platforms, including the UN, the OIC, and other international formats.

Taking into account her previous role as Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, the Kazakh diplomat invited her to participate in the Regional Environmental Summit to be held on April 22-24, 2026, in Astana, and handed over an official invitation from the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Nyssanbayev.

In this context, a constructive exchange of views took place on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to establish an International Water Organization, as well as on preparations by the Emirati side for the III UN Water Conference scheduled for December 2-4, 2026, in Abu Dhabi.

The parties noted the similarity of their positions on strengthening multilateral cooperation aimed at advancing global water diplomacy and ensuring sustainable management of natural resources.

Furthermore, Maryam Al Mheiri, in her capacity as Vice President of the 2PointZero investment platform, emphasized the importance of further developing bilateral trade, economic and investment cooperation. The role of the platform as a key instrument for asset consolidation and attracting investments into priority sectors, including sustainable energy, advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, as well as food and water security, was also highlighted.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue active engagement across all areas of mutual interest.

 

Consultations on multilateral cooperation between the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Armenia were held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the consultations, the parties exchanged views in depth on key issues of cooperation within international organizations and multilateral formats.

Particular attention was paid to discussions on cooperation within the UN and OSCE, as well as the initiatives of the two countries on international platforms.

Didar Temenov, Director of the Multilateral Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, briefed on the preparations for the Regional Ecological Summit, scheduled to take place on 22-24 April 2026 in Astana, and expressed gratitude to the Armenian side for confirming high-level participation at the Summit. The Kazakh diplomat drew attention to the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, to establish an International Water Organization within the UN framework, aimed at strengthening global cooperation in the sustainable management of water resources and ensuring water security.

Davit Knyazyan, Director of the Department of Multilateral Policy and Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, presented an update on the preparations for the 17th Meeting of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-17), scheduled to take place on 19-30 October 2026 in Yerevan.

The parties emphasized the timeliness of the Regional Ecological Summit and COP-17 as important platforms for discussing the global ecological agenda.

In light of the growing role of digital technologies in the socio-economic development of states, the Kazakh side highlighted the promotion of the draft resolution on the "Establishment of an Asia and Pacific Center for Digital Solutions for Sustainable Development" in the framework of UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

At the conclusion of the consultations, the parties reaffirmed their mutual commitment to further strengthen dialogue on key issues of multilateral cooperation.

 

As part of strengthening bilateral cooperation in digital technologies and innovation, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Slovenia Altay Abibullayev held meetings with Leon Cizelj, Director of the leading research and technology center Jožef Stefan Institute, and Mojca Štruc, Director General for Digital Society at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of the Republic of Slovenia, where they held substantive discussions on the current state and future prospects of the development of the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and information and communication technologies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan informed the Slovenian side that 2026 has been declared the "Year of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies" in the Republic of Kazakhstan by decision of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reflecting the country’s strategic priority to accelerate digital transformation and introduce advanced AI-based solutions.

It was noted that Kazakhstan ranks 24th in the world in terms of digital technology development, demonstrating steady progress in this field. Particular attention was paid to Kazakhstan’s achievements in the development of its e-government ecosystem, as well as to significant successes in the banking sector, where the introduction of fintech solutions has substantially increased the accessibility and quality of financial services for citizens.

Kazakhstan’s approaches to enhancing the export of IT services to international markets were presented separately, including the functionality of the national eGov.kz digital platform and the activities of Astana Hub, an international technopark of IT startups that serves as a key platform for the development of Kazakhstan’s innovation ecosystem. During the discussion, the objectives of the technopark were emphasized, including supporting startups, attracting international technology companies, and developing the export potential of IT services.

The parties also discussed in detail the agenda of the upcoming Kazakh-Slovenian Business Forum "AI Digital Bridge" in Ljubljana, which aims to bring together representatives of government institutions, business, and scientific communities of Kazakhstan and Slovenia, creating favorable conditions for launching new joint initiatives and projects.

The Slovenian side confirmed the completion of the coordination process and expressed readiness to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation between the relevant ministries.

The Ambassador also conveyed the official invitation from the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan and Co-Chairman of the Kazakh-Slovenian Intergovernmental Commission, Zhaslan Madiyev, addressed to the Minister of Digital Transformation of Slovenia, Ksenija Klampfer, to participate in the international technology forum GITEX AI in Almaty on May 4-5. The forum will serve as an important platform for exchanging experience and establishing direct contacts between representatives of government institutions and business communities of the two countries.

Following the meetings, agreements in principle were reached on the further comprehensive development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Slovenia in the fields of artificial intelligence and ICT, including support for startup companies, implementation of joint research projects, exchange of experience in the digitalization of public administration, development of partnerships between technology companies and research centers, as well as the training of highly qualified specialists.

 

Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Madiyar Menilbekov held negotiations with the Head of the Founding Group of the Global Water Organization Fahd Balghunaim, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the conversation, the parties discussed key issues of water security, efficient use of water resources, and the introduction of modern technologies in the water sector.

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships with international organizations to address global water challenges and reaffirmed readiness to exchange experience and implement joint initiatives.

Representatives of the Global Water Organization expressed interest in developing cooperation with Kazakhstan, highlighting the country’s active role in promoting initiatives in the field of water diplomacy.

Following of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue the dialogue and to work on prospective areas of cooperation.