Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrapped up his visit to Brussels with a high-profile forum where business leaders and ministers from the largest Central Asian country met European businesses and signed commercial deals worth around €10 billion.
The visit came just over a year after the leaders of the EU and Central Asian countries agreed to begin a new era of cooperation in the historic summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
At that summit in April 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she believed the partnership would lead to new opportunities in sectors such as energy, tourism, trade and transport, as she announced a €12 billion investment package for the region.
"This will bring together investments from our European Union and member states. We call it a Team Europe approach. And it will launch a new pipeline of projects to Central Asia. This is truly the start of a new era in our ancient friendship,” she said, flanked by European Council President Antonio Costa.
Meeting Kazakhstan’s president a year later in Brussels, von der Leyen and Costa reiterated that Kazakhstan's strategic position as a gateway to Asia offers many opportunities.
