Kazakhstan accounts for around 13% of the European Union’s oil imports, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the Central Asia–European Union summit in Samarkand, underlining the country’s role as a reliable energy partner and strategic player in the region.
Speaking at the high-level gathering, Tokayev highlighted key areas of cooperation with the EU, including energy security, trade, digital transformation, and climate action. He opened by thanking Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev for hosting the summit and expressed appreciation to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for fostering strong ties with the region.
Tokayev noted that the bulk of Kazakhstan’s oil exports to Europe are delivered via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), emphasizing the importance of its stable and long-term operation. He welcomed EU support for the CPC and added that Kazakhstan is also developing alternative transport routes for its raw materials.
He drew attention to Kazakhstan’s growing portfolio in renewable energy and green hydrogen, developed with partners such as Total, Eni, and Svevind. A landmark initiative—co-developed with Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan—aims to construct a green energy transmission corridor across the Caspian Sea to serve European markets.
Additionally, the president emphasized that trade and economic cooperation should be a top priority. The head of state noted that Kazakhstan is prepared to boost exports to the European Union by more than $2bn, covering 175 categories of goods. To finance related projects, Tokayev invited European companies to use the Astana International Financial Centre as a key investment hub.
Tokayev highlighted Kazakhstan’s strategic value in the supply of critical raw materials, producing 19 out of 34 key elements needed for the EU economy, including uranium, titanium, copper, lithium, and cobalt. He proposed establishing a Regional Research Center for Rare Earth Metals in Astana to support sustainable mining practices and data-sharing with EU investors.
The president spoke in favor of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and emphasized Kazakhstan’s growing role as a regional logistics hub. Container traffic along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route surged by 62% last year to 4.5mn tons, with projections to reach 10mn tons by 2027.
Tokayev also stressed Kazakhstan’s ambition in the digital sphere, citing the formation of the International Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence, a program to train 100,000 IT specialists, and the establishment of Alem.AI, a high-tech center in Astana. He proposed launching a Central Asia–EU Innovation Campus at Astana Hub to promote joint research and digital startups.
The president reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s partnership with the EU in education and science through Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe. He proposed expanding Erasmus+ to train specialists in areas like AI, water management, and biotechnology.
Tokayev also discussed Kazakhstan’s climate leadership, highlighting its contribution of 40% of the world’s nuclear fuel supply and the opening of a Regional Office on Climate Change and Green Energy.
Addressing global challenges, Tokayev called for responsible diplomacy, support for the UN Charter, and peaceful conflict resolution. He welcomed the start of peace negotiations on Ukraine, reaffirming Kazakhstan’s support for diplomacy as the only viable path forward.
He concluded by thanking EU leaders for backing the establishment of a UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals in Almaty, aimed at supporting Central Asia and Afghanistan in meeting the Agenda 2030 goals.
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