Kazakh PM Bektenov attends CIS Council of Heads of Government meeting in Ashgabat

This year, the Commonwealth is chaired by Turkmenistan. Before the CIS Council of Heads of Government meeting commenced, Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held an audience with the visiting delegation heads.

During the bilateral meeting, Bektenov conveyed warm greetings from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

Attention was given to issues of trade, economic, transit, and transport cooperation, as well as collaboration in energy and agriculture. In January-March 2026, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan amounted to 125.3 million US dollars, while exports increased by 15 percent due to higher supplies of agricultural products from Kazakhstan. It was noted that the Government of Kazakhstan and the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan are systematically working on implementing the task set by the leaders of the two states to increase trade turnover.

The meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government was attended by the prime ministers of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of Turkmenistan and Armenia and the CIS Secretary General. Traditionally, the meeting was held in both narrow and expanded formats.

During the narrow-format meeting, participants discussed current issues of economic cooperation among CIS member states, and adopted a report on the implementation of the Interstate Cooperation Program in geodesy, cartography, and spatial data. In the expanded-format meeting, heads of government delegations reviewed the draft Concept for the Digital Transformation of the Mining and Metallurgical Industries of CIS member states and the action plan for its implementation, as well as the CIS Congress and Exhibition Activity Strategy through 2030.

Speaking at the narrow-format meeting, Bektenov noted that with the adoption of the new Constitution, Kazakhstan is entering a new historical stage of development and is focused on sustainable economic growth. In this regard, issues related to economic cooperation, digital transformation and the implementation of artificial intelligence, the agro-industrial complex, transit and logistics infrastructure, water security, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation, including the development of volunteer movements, were discussed. By the end of 2025, Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with CIS countries reached 38.4 billion US dollars. In January-March 2026, mutual trade volume increased by 17.1 percent.

The Head of the Kazakh Government emphasized that the adoption and implementation of the Concept for the Digital Transformation of the Mining and Metallurgical Industries of the CIS will give additional momentum to industrial modernization and the expansion of technological cooperation. In turn, the Concept for Integrating the Main Transport Arteries of the CIS, initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will ensure infrastructure modernization for the rapid movement of goods. This will reduce transportation costs and increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of transport routes for international shippers and investors, while also ensuring the effective use of transport corridors in the interests of the socio-economic development of CIS member states.

Following the meeting, a number of documents were signed concerning cooperation among CIS countries in the fields of digital transformation of the mining and metallurgical industries, transport, radionavigation, reclamation of territories affected by uranium mining operations, and congress and exhibition activities.

In addition, it was decided to designate the city of Minsk (Republic of Belarus) as the CIS Youth Capital in 2027 and the city of Karaganda (Republic of Kazakhstan) in 2028. The international project aims to involve younger generations in implementing programs for sustainable development across all areas of interstate relations. The next meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States will take place in December in Moscow.

Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan ratifies the CIS agreement on radiation data exchange.