Estonia sees Kazakhstan as a key partner bridging Europe and Asia - President Alar Karis

Mr. President, welcome to Kazakhstan, and thank you for joining us here at Qazinform News Agency. To begin, how would you assess the current level of relations between Kazakhstan and Estonia? In which areas - such as digitalization, logistics, IT, or the green economy - do you think our potential is still not fully used?

First of all, thank you very much. It is my pleasure to be here in Kazakhstan, in Astana. This is my second visit to Kazakhstan - the last time was in 2011, so quite a long time ago, and my first time here as President. This is a state visit, and I am accompanied by eight business delegations, representing more than 40 companies. At this moment, our relations are very good. We both serve as gateways: Estonia to Europe, and Kazakhstan to Asia. We want to deepen our business partnership, which is currently not at a very high level - around 50 million euros - but we want to expand it, both in traditional sectors and in new areas such as deep-tech and AI, which is an important topic for me as well. We have signed several memorandums of understanding, so I believe our cooperation will flourish in the coming years.

Estonia is a European leader in digital transformation. Which of your practices or technologies could become a basis for joint projects with Kazakhstan, especially as President Tokayev advances Digital Kazakhstan 2.0?

This is definitely an area where we can share our experience with Kazakhstan, both with the government and with society. We started digitalization almost 30 years ago, from scratch, and over time we learned what to do - and, more importantly, what not to do. Today, the entire country is digitalized in the sense that all services are available online; you can even get married online. It is easy and convenient. But for this to work, you need leadership, and you need trust: trust in the government, trust in the technology. Early on, we also made digital IDs compulsory, which helped tremendously.

Another important step was the so-called Tiger Leap project, when we equipped all schools with computers and started building digital literacy among children. This made digitalization much easier later on.

Now we are all talking about artificial intelligence. Kazakhstan is doing an excellent job, and we are also moving forward. In Estonia, we have launched an AI Leap, again starting with schools - teaching teachers and students how to use AI. We cooperate with major global companies such as Google and Microsoft to provide AI platforms to children free of charge and to adapt them for school use. This is something we started this year, and it can also be an area for cooperation with Kazakhstan.

Yes, and Kazakhstan has recently established the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, which opens strong potential for intergovernmental collaboration. This field is indeed very promising.

Indeed, and later today we will have a joint meeting and a roundtable discussion on AI with your ministers.

With global turbulence reshaping economic routes, how interested is Estonia in Kazakhstan as a transport, logistics, and investment hub between Europe and Asia? What prospects do you see?

I have a number of companies with me that work in logistics and transportation, and they have already been active here for quite some time - this is not their first visit. Estonia has excellent harbors and ports, and cooperation in this area is one of the key elements of our visit. We have also signed a memorandum of understanding on port collaboration. Since Kazakhstan is a landlocked country without its own seaports, we can provide access and opportunities to support its economic activities.

Kazakhstan is considered a middle power with a multi-vector foreign policy. How do you view Kazakhstan’s role in strengthening security in Europe and Eurasia?

I think Kazakhstan is doing quite well. It is located between two major powers - China and Russia - and every country must navigate today’s world, which is unfortunately marked by conflicts and wars. It is difficult for Kazakhstan, and it is also difficult for Estonia.

We all want these conflicts to end in the coming years. Your President and I also discussed the role of the United Nations and the need to reform it to make the organization more effective. There is no alternative to the UN when it comes to preventing wars and conflicts.

Mr. President, you met with President Tokayev yesterday and held narrow-format talks. How would you describe your conversation, and what impressions did you take away from the meeting?

We had a very good conversation - first with our delegations and then one-on-one with President Tokayev. We discussed a wide range of issues: recent and upcoming visits, the geopolitical situation, and bilateral cooperation. It was an open and constructive exchange, and we are very much on the same page.

Central Asia is becoming a strategic region for the EU. What opportunities do you see in the Central Asia - EU dialogue, and what role does Kazakhstan play as the region’s largest economic partner for Europe?

Europe is Kazakhstan’s largest economic partner, as you mentioned, and this partnership will only continue to develop. Of course, there are issues such as tariffs and visa requirements, which we need to work on to bring our countries even closer. Europe is a big market for Kazakhstan, and Kazakhstan is an important partner for Europe. We are also developing new transit routes between Kazakhstan and Europe, so I believe things are moving in the right direction.

And what do you think about the Schengen visa process for our citizens? Is it possible that it will be simplified in the future?

This was also part of our discussions yesterday. We should work toward making travel procedures easier, because people need to travel - to meet, to build connections, to cooperate. Even in the digital age, human contact is essential. We want Kazakh citizens to visit Estonia and Estonians to visit Kazakhstan.

One of the areas where we signed a memorandum of understanding is higher education. Six university rectors are here with me, and we had a meeting with Kazakh rectors to discuss future opportunities, student exchanges, and cooperation among researchers and scientists.

And would you like to add anything that we haven’t covered as we conclude this interview?

Our relations are very good. This is the first state visit from Estonia to Kazakhstan, and the last visit in the opposite direction was President Nazarbayev’s visit to Estonia in 2011 - also quite a long time ago, but we still remember it well. I believe that this visit will strengthen our cooperation and make our bilateral relations even better. As I mentioned earlier, Kazakhstan is a gateway to Asia for Estonia, and we hope Estonia will serve as a gateway to Europe for Kazakhstan.

Earlier, as Qazinform News Agency reported, the heads of state of the two countries held talks, followed by an expanded-format meeting.

Estonian President Alar Karis also emphasized that Kazakhstan is Tallinn’s most important economic partner in Central Asia.