Economic relations are set to become more strategic and value-driven.
Kazakhstan aims to establish itself as a major producer of critical raw materials. Two years ago, then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on closer cooperation with the Central Asian country during a state visit. This week, German Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche traveled to Kazakhstan to advance those efforts. Kazakhstan is Germany’s most important economic partner in Central Asia and its fourth-largest supplier of oil. The country also possesses 21 of the 34 raw materials that the European Union classifies as strategic. Despite this significant potential, the visit marked the first trip by a German economics minister to Kazakhstan in 19 years.
During talks between Minister Reiche and Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, both sides discussed expanding cooperation in business, industry, energy, transport logistics, and critical raw materials. Bektenov advocated moving beyond traditional trade relations toward deeper industrial and technological collaboration, including local production, technology transfer, and workforce training. Without the necessary expertise and technological capabilities, Kazakhstan’s substantial raw material potential cannot be fully developed.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction, approximately $1 billion in private investment has flowed into the country’s mining sector over the past five years.
Photo: Janetheone via Canva
