In April 2025, the European Union and Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, met in the historic city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan and pledged a new boost in cooperation, joint projects, investment and interconnectivity.
For the EU the event was especially important as the transportation routes through the five countries of Central Asia, connecting Europe with China are a valuable alternative for the now defunct corridors through Russia.
Just over a year later, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrives in Brussels to visit the Belgian government and to assess the delivery of the promises made to the EU in Samarkand.
He will meet the leaders of the EU who were present in the historic Kazakh city, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Council President Antonio Kosta.
Ahead of the visit, several ministers of the government of Kazakhstan have been engaged in what can be described as “days of business opportunities in Kazakhstan” series of events in Brussels.
