Kazakhstan, Belarus seek to expand cooperation as Bektenov holds talks in Minsk

Bektenov conveyed greetings and best wishes from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. During the meeting, both sides underscored the strong ties between Kazakhstan and Belarus, built on longstanding friendship, mutual respect, and a high level of trust. They also highlighted that the consistent development of bilateral cooperation is built on trust-based relations and regular constructive dialogue between the two countries’ leaders.

At intergovernmental negotiations, Bektenov and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Turchin reviewed practical measures to further develop trade and economic cooperation, investment ties, industrial collaboration, transport and transit links, and the implementation of joint projects.

"Belarus is a reliable and time-tested partner for Kazakhstan," Bektenov said, noting that bilateral trade increased by 27.7% in 2025 and by 20% in the first seven months of the current year. He added that opportunities remain to expand cooperation, including in railway engineering.

“The government of Kazakhstan is firmly committed to advancing and deepening multifaceted, mutually beneficial cooperation between Kazakhstan and Belarus,” stressed Bektenov.

Turchin said that joint efforts had led to steady growth in bilateral trade and that the positive momentum in economic cooperation was being supported by the effective work of the Belarus-Kazakhstan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation.

He noted that there was considerable potential to further increase mutual supplies and expressed confidence that the meeting would help identify new growth areas for future development and add fresh substance to the bilateral agenda. Turchin also reaffirmed Belarus's openness to dialogue and interest in strengthening ties with Kazakhstan.

According to the Kazakh government, mutual trade reached approximately $1.2 billion in 2025. Trade turnover totaled $723 million in the first seven months of the current year, with both sides identifying significant potential to increase trade volumes and diversify exports.

Bektenov said that Kazakhstan has significant export potential in food products, vehicles, metals, chemical and petrochemical goods, textiles, machinery and railway equipment.

The parties also reviewed industrial cooperation. Thirteen joint projects worth more than $200 million have been implemented under the Kazakhstan-Belarus partnership. Production of Belarus-brand tractors, Gomselmash harvesters and other machinery has been localized in Kazakhstan, and Astana expressed interest in further expanding local manufacturing projects involving major Belarusian enterprises.

In agriculture, Kazakhstan signaled readiness to increase exports of sunflower, safflower and rapeseed oils, as well as processed food products, to the Belarusian market.

Transport and transit cooperation continued to show positive growth, with rail freight volumes between the two countries rising 18.7% year-on-year to 4.8 million tons in the first seven months of the year. The sides also discussed prospects for developing additional logistics routes.

The talks covered exports of Kazakh digital solutions and cooperation in tourism, culture and humanitarian affairs.

Following the negotiations, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed a number of interregional agreements aimed at strengthening trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation. The documents included action plans between Kostanay and Grodno regions for 2027-2029, between Pavlodar and Minsk regions and Pavlodar and Gomel regions for 2026-2028, as well as a memorandum and development roadmap between Turkistan and Mogilev regions.