Central Asian Foreign Ministers Meet UK Parliamentarians in London

London, February 25, 2026 – The Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Yermek Kosherbayev, alongside his counterparts from other Central Asian nations, held a meeting with members of the UK Parliament's All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Central Asia.

"Kazakhstan attaches great importance to its relations with the United Kingdom as one of our key partners in Europe," stated Minister Kosherbayev. "We highly value our open political dialogue, growing trade and investment ties, and cooperation in education, innovation, and sustainable development. Inter-parliamentary dialogue holds a special place in this partnership." He emphasized that such contacts deepen mutual understanding, facilitate the exchange of practical legislative experience, and help align approaches to regional and international issues.

The Kazakh Foreign Minister highlighted the evolving role of Central Asia. "Today, Central Asia is a region of growing opportunities and growing responsibility," he noted. "We believe that more active parliamentary involvement can significantly contribute to solving common challenges, including regional stability, sustainable development, climate change, and strengthening ties between our countries." He expressed confidence that the APPG plays a vital role in fostering long-term pragmatic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UK.

Minister Kosherbayev also briefed attendees on Kazakhstan's ongoing program of comprehensive political and constitutional reforms aimed at modernizing governance and strengthening state institutions. These reforms are designed to create a more balanced, accountable system with an enhanced role for parliament.

In response, British parliamentarians acknowledged the high potential and increasing significance of Central Asia. They agreed that enhanced parliamentary interaction could help address shared objectives like ensuring regional stability and combating climate change. The MPs expressed readiness to share practical experience from the UK's legislative bodies and their openness to close inter-parliamentary cooperation.

A separate meeting was also held with Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, Speaker of the House of Commons.

During their conversation, Minister Kosherbayev reiterated that Britain remains a key European partner for Kazakhstan. He welcomed the recent establishment within the British Parliament of a cross-party group dedicated to cooperation with Central Asian states—a group comprising members from both Houses across various parties.

"I am confident this new group can make a worthy contribution to developing inter-parliamentary cooperation between Britain and Kazakhstan as well as other countries in our region," said Kosherbayev.

Speaker Hoyle underscored the importance of strengthening parliamentary links and affirmed the British Parliament's readiness to support initiatives for developing cooperation with Central Asia. He praised Kazakhstan's role as a stable partner in the region and expressed interest in exchanging legislative expertise and expanding dialogue between parliamentary delegations.