Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke at the Kazakhstan-Germany Business Forum, which was attended by representatives of the business communities of both countries.
According to our Head of State, over the years, Kazakhstan and Germany have been building strong relations based on mutual respect and practical cooperation.
“Kazakhstan regards Germany as a trusted and long-standing strategic partner. We have great respect for Germany’s economic achievements and industrial culture. For generations, ‘Made in Germany’ has stood for quality, engineering excellence, precision and responsibility. Germany’s strength has been built not only by its global corporations, but also by its Mittelstand, skilled workforce, scientific mindset and a remarkable manufacturing culture,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.
The President noted Germany’s special role in Kazakhstan’s relations with the European Union. According to him, the EU is Kazakhstan’s largest trade and investment partner, while Germany is one of the major drivers of the country’s economic engagement with Europe.
“Critical raw materials, energy, transport, agriculture, digitalization and emerging technologies are now central to this broader agenda. These are also precisely the areas where Kazakhstan and Germany can achieve great results together,” the Head of State noted.
In his view, bilateral relations can become an important bridge strengthening the growing economic ties between Central Asia and Europe.
The President identified industrial cooperation as one of the key areas of the Kazakhstan-Germany partnership. The current joint portfolio comprises 40 investment initiatives worth more than 54 billion US dollars, of which 21 projects have already been implemented.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted successful cooperation with companies such as CLAAS, Horsch, Amazonen-Werke and Knauf. Over the past five years, CLAAS has produced more than 2,100 units of agricultural machinery in Kazakhstan.
“Taking this opportunity, I am pleased to note that our industrial partnership is becoming a two-way process, as reflected in the growth of several categories of Kazakhstan’s industrial exports to Germany. For instance, during my visit, agreements were reached on the supply of domestically manufactured engineering products to the German market, including railway wheels produced using German equipment,” the President said.
According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan is ready to expand cooperation with German companies in automation, machine-tool manufacturing, industrial robotics, precision engineering, advanced manufacturing and the digitalization of production processes.
“We should move from individual success stories towards a systemic industrial partnership. For this purpose, Kazakhstan is ready to launch a Kazakhstan-Germany Investment and Industrial Initiative, centered on a single portfolio of flagship projects. The aim is practical – to select commercially viable projects with the potential to create new industries in Kazakhstan, bring advanced German know-how and produce competitive goods for regional and global markets. Germany’s Mittelstand can play a particularly important role in this endeavor,” the President noted.
Particular attention in the President’s address was paid to cooperation in critical raw materials. Kazakhstan possesses 21 of the 34 raw materials classified by the European Union as strategic.
“Germany needs reliable and diversified supplies. Kazakhstan seeks investment and advanced technologies to move further up the value chain. This creates a strong strategic synergy. The next stage is to identify major full-cycle projects – from exploration and extraction to processing and the production of advanced materials in Kazakhstan,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.
The President also highlighted significant potential for cooperation in agriculture.
“In 2025, bilateral trade in agricultural products increased by 23 percent and Kazakhstan’s agricultural exports to Germany grew by 38 percent. The next step should be to develop joint projects across the entire value chain – from precision farming and water-efficient production to food processing, storage, and exports,” the Head of State explained.
Energy is another key area of cooperation. According to the President, Kazakhstan is one of the major oil suppliers to Europe and important contributor to the energy security.
“Our cooperation with Siemens Energy, including its work with Kazakhstan’s national grid operator Kegoc, shows big potential in this area. We are keen to expand our cooperation in the energy sector and propose developing a portfolio of joint projects on modernizing energy infrastructure. Should they be economically viable, we need to move beyond supplying equipment in order to produce in Kazakhstan, creating a base for supplying other Central Asian markets through the implementation of concrete investment projects,” the President proposed.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev further noted that Kazakhstan has identified artificial intelligence and digital transformation as national priorities. According to him, the country is developing a Data Center Valley, which is intended to become a major computing hub.
“Germany’s strengths in industrial software, automation, cybersecurity, engineering and applied research are highly complementary to this ambition. German companies could participate in data-center infrastructure and work with Kazakh partners on AI solutions for mining, manufacturing, energy and logistics,” the President noted.
A separate part of the address focused on human capital development. Highly valuing Germany’s dual vocational education system, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that there is a solid foundation for expanding academic and professional exchanges.
“We suggest to establish a network of Kazakh-German Centers of Industrial Competence that could be linked directly to joint flagship projects. The principle here should be simple – every major investment project should also become a training platform. This is how capital becomes knowledge, and knowledge becomes sustainable growth,” the President emphasized.
Speaking at the business forum, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted the significant potential for economic cooperation and emphasized the importance of further developing the strategic partnership.
“Kazakhstan is our most important trading partner in Central Asia, and we continue to develop our cooperation. This is also evidenced by the bilateral agreements that will be signed following this meeting. As Federal President, I am committed to developing ties with emerging regional powers, including Kazakhstan. Germany brings capital, technology, and industrial expertise. Kazakhstan possesses vast reserves of natural resources, enormous growth potential, and, of course, a strategic location between Europe and Asia,” said Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
