Kazakhstan and UK Forge Stronger Ties with 84% Trade Surge and Critical Minerals Focus

During an official visit to London, Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yermek Kosherbayev, held talks with the UK's acting Minister for Business and Trade, Chris Bryant. The discussions centered on the significant expansion of bilateral economic cooperation across several strategic sectors.

The ministers highlighted a remarkable 84% increase in mutual trade, which reached $1.6 billion last year. They underscored the active role of British investment in Kazakhstan, where over 500 companies with UK capital are successfully operating in priority areas such as critical minerals, green energy, and digital technologies.

A key focus of the meeting was collaboration on critical raw materials. The parties agreed to intensify work under a signed Roadmap, focusing on exploration, extraction, and processing. Kazakhstan was noted as a case study in the UK's Critical Minerals Strategy; out of 36 strategically important minerals identified by the UK, 22 are already produced in Kazakhstan, including uranium, titanium, silicon, and rhenium.

The dialogue emphasized moving cooperation into practical implementation by creating added value through processing, refining, recycling capabilities, and transparent financial mechanisms for projects.

Educational partnerships were also high on the agenda. Plans include opening a new campus of Coventry University in Almaty and expanding the presence of Heriot-Watt University in Kazakhstan. Other developments noted were dual-degree programs, academic mobility initiatives, the publication of the first Oxford Dictionary of Kazakh Language at Oxford University.

Further discussions covered prospects for digital and technological partnership with companies like OneWeb and collaboration in artificial intelligence. The contribution of British experts to modernizing Kazakhstan's healthcare system was also acknowledged.

In conclusion, Chris Bryant confirmed the United Kingdom's readiness to deepen its strategic partnership with Kazakhstan further and implement practical projects yielding concrete results in economy science technology