Foreign media on Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan signs €10B in deals with Europe as Tokayev wraps Brussels visit; Kazakhstan seeks to further strengthen ties with EU at Brussels summit
Based on recent developments, including President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Brussels, where Kazakhstan signed €10 billion worth of commercial agreements with European partners and concluded strategic deals on aviation, transport infrastructure, critical raw materials and visa facilitation, Qazinform News Agency presents its weekly review of foreign media coverage.
Euronews: Kazakhstan signs €10bn in deals with Europe as Tokayev wraps Brussels visit
During President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Brussels, Kazakhstan and the European Union signed strategic documents and concluded 30 commercial agreements worth around €10 billion, Euronews reports.
The deals were announced at the Kazakhstan-EU business forum, where President Tokayev highlighted the bloc's role as Kazakhstan's leading economic partner.
“Today, the European Union is our largest trading and investment partner, accounting for nearly half of all the foreign direct investment attracted by Kazakhstan. Last year alone, our bilateral trade exceeded $45 billion,” Tokayev said.
The President noted that nearly 4,000 European companies operate in Kazakhstan and reaffirmed the country's readiness to supply Europe with 21 of the 34 strategically important rare earth elements.
“Kazakhstan and European Union are natural partners... Now is the time to translate this shared vision into concrete projects, new investment, cutting edge technologies and quality jobs,” he said.
The largest agreement was a €7.3 billion contract between Air Astana and Airbus for the purchase of 50 A320-family aircraft. Another major deal saw Samruk-Kazyna sign a €967 million locomotive servicing contract with France's Alstom.
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said Kazakhstan possesses resources “crucial for the development of the modern economy.”
Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin said the meetings produced concrete results, expressing confidence that bilateral trade would soon exceed $50 billion.
The Brussels Times: EU deepens ties with Kazakhstan in leaders' meeting in Brussels
EU leaders met Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Brussels on Monday, signing agreements on aviation, transport infrastructure, critical raw materials and visa facilitation as both sides sought to deepen economic ties, The Brussels Times reports.
The European Commission announced a Horizontal Aviation Agreement allowing eligible EU airlines to operate flights between Kazakhstan and 17 EU member states that currently have bilateral air service agreements with Astana.
The European Investment Bank also signed a framework loan agreement of up to €150 million, backed by an EU guarantee, to finance road upgrades along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor.
In addition, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development agreed to support a feasibility study for an internationally accredited laboratory in Astana focused on critical raw materials.
The Commission said negotiations on Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements had concluded, with the visa deal expected to simplify short-stay applications for Kazakh citizens.
Eureporter: Trade and economic development in Central Asia 'can boost links between EU and Kazakhstan'
According to Eureporter, trade and economic development in Central Asia can strengthen links between the European Union and Kazakhstan, participants heard at an international business conference in Brussels focused on the strategic importance of the Middle Corridor.
The conference highlighted Kazakhstan's growing role as a transit, logistics and investment hub connecting Asia and Europe through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).
“The development of the Middle Corridor continues to enhance connectivity between Asia and Europe,” participants noted, pointing to the recent expansion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway's annual freight capacity to 5 million tonnes.
Marat Terterov, founder of the Brussels Energy Club, said: “Both sides underlined and understated the importance of the Middle Corridor development.”
The event, held during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Belgium, brought together more than 100 representatives of European institutions, international financial organizations and major transport and logistics companies to discuss infrastructure, digital connectivity and resilient supply chains.
The Times of Central Asia: Beyond resources: Ambassador Kussainov on Kazakhstan and Canada’s partnership in AI, education, and innovation
For decades, Kazakhstan and Canada built their partnership around natural resources. Today, that relationship is expanding into artificial intelligence, innovation, education and workforce development, The Times of Central Asia reports.
More than 160 Canadian-linked enterprises operate in Kazakhstan, Canadian investment has exceeded $6 billion since 1994, and bilateral trade reached about $458 million in 2025.
“I believe Kazakhstan-Canada relations are entering a new and dynamic phase,” said Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Canada, Dauletbek Kussainov.
“Canada brings world-class expertise, technology and investment, while Kazakhstan offers significant resource potential, industrial capacity, and a strategic position connecting major markets,” he said.
While mining and energy remain the foundation of bilateral ties, cooperation is increasingly focused on technology, innovation and human capital. This shift was reflected in several business events held in Astana in June, including the Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress and the seventh Kazakhstan-Canada Business Council, which brought together government officials, business leaders and experts from both countries.
EFE Comunica: Kazakhstan seeks to further strengthen ties with EU at Brussels summit
Kazakhstan is seeking to deepen ties with the European Union during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Brussels, where cooperation on critical raw materials, energy and transport is high on the agenda as the EU looks to diversify its suppliers, EFE Comunica reports.
“Kazakhstan and the EU have come a long way with successful cooperation,” Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Belgium Roman Vassilenko said, adding that both sides are working toward “an even closer relationship, an even stronger relationship.”
A key focus is the Middle Corridor, a transport route linking China and Europe via Central Asia while bypassing Russia. Kazakhstan also aims to expand cooperation on green hydrogen and critical raw materials.
The Times of Central Asia: SuperX considers 1 GW AI data center in Kazakhstan
According to The Times of Central Asia, Nasdaq-listed SuperX AI Technology Limited is considering building a large-scale AI data center cluster in Kazakhstan with planned power capacity of up to 1 gigawatt, the company told Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov during the World Economic Forum's Summer Davos meeting in Dalian, China.
SuperX plans to develop the project in phases between 2026 and 2029. The proposal includes an AI campus, power infrastructure, digital systems and server equipment.
The discussions reflect Kazakhstan's push to expand artificial intelligence and data center capacity through foreign investment. Singapore-based GK Hyperscale is already building two data centers in Kazakhstan, while work is underway on the Data Center Valley project in Pavlodar Region.
Bektenov also met CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun to discuss battery production, energy storage and recycling projects, as well as CISDI Engineering and Guangzhou Automobile Group on potential metallurgy and automotive manufacturing investments in Kazakhstan.
You can read last week’s weekly digest here.
