Cyprus and Kazakhstan signed five cooperation agreements and pledged to deepen economic ties during the first official visit by a Cypriot president to Kazakhstan, as the two countries opened embassies simultaneously in Astana and Nicosia.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides in Astana, where they held bilateral talks followed by discussions with government delegations from both countries.
The meeting produced memoranda of understanding covering higher education and research, culture, sport, information and communication technologies, cybersecurity and e-government, as well as a separate agreement between the two countries’ chambers of commerce.
Tokayev awarded Christodoulides the First Class Order of Dostyk, one of Kazakhstan’s highest state honours.
From political dialogue to practical cooperation
The Cypriot president travelled to Kazakhstan accompanied by a delegation of business representatives who took part in a Cyprus-Kazakhstan business forum held alongside the visit.
Christodoulides said Kazakhstan has become an increasingly important economic and transport hub in Central Asia, while Cyprus can offer access to European markets as a member of the European Union and the eurozone. He said both sides discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in areas including shipping, services, renewable energy and technology.
“We recognise the increasing geopolitical importance of Central Asia and we also recognise the very important role that Kazakhstan plays both in the region and also as a strategic partner of the European Union,” Christodoulides said.
“Within this backdrop, I stress that Cyprus, also in the context of the current Presidency of the Council of the EU, strongly supports the further strengthening of the strategic partnership,” he added.
The Cypriot leader also briefed Tokayev on recent developments on the Cyprus issue and reiterated his support for the resumption of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations.
Tokayev said the talks focused on expanding cooperation in trade, investment and business development, while also strengthening political dialogue. He proposed creating a bilateral roadmap, as well as intergovernmental and business councils, to support joint projects and encourage greater economic exchange.
“The political dialogue between our two countries has been strengthening year by year,” stressed Tokayev.
“Seven years ago, the esteemed Mr Christodoulides paid a special visit to Astana as the foreign minister of Cyprus,” the Kazakh president said.
“At that time, he stated that Cyprus was always ready to promote Kazakhstan’s interests within the European Union. Since then, much work has been carried out. The embassies of both countries have been opened. In this way, our bilateral relations have been established and developed.”
The Kazakh president also pointed to growing commercial links between the two countries, noting that more than 400 companies with Cypriot capital are currently operating in Kazakhstan. He invited Cyprus to participate in projects linked to the TransGas corridor and highlighted the island’s role as an international maritime centre.
New connections between Europe and Central Asia
One practical development to emerge from the visit was the launch of direct flights between Larnaca and Astana by Air Astana.
The Cypriot delegation travelled to Kazakhstan on the inaugural service. Christodoulides said the new connection could support tourism, trade and business exchanges between the two countries. The Cypriot delegation travelled to Kazakhstan on the inaugural flight.
Christodoulides also visited the Alem AI Centre for a briefing on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity projects before addressing a Cyprus-Kazakhstan business forum.
Officials from both sides also pointed to investment as an area with significant growth potential.
In comments to Euronews, Deputy Minister to the President of Cyprus, Irene Piki, said investment links between the two countries have continued to expand, with Cypriot investments in Kazakhstan estimated at around $4 billion (€3.4bn).
“The sectors that we specially focusing on are digitalisation, financial services, logistics, shipping. There are a lot of things that we can offer both for investment from Cyprus to Kazakhstan and the other way round”, Piki said.
Piki also described Cyprus as a gateway to the EU, providing access to a market of more than 450 million consumers, as well as connections to the wider eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Later in the day, Christodoulides addressed a Cyprus–Kazakhstan business forum attended by representatives of both countries’ business communities.
He highlighted opportunities for cooperation in sectors including shipping, transport, digital technology, AI, energy, healthcare and agriculture, while pointing to the growing importance of connectivity between Europe and Central Asia.
Speaking at the ceremony inaugurating the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Astana, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said that the simultaneous opening of embassies in the two capitals was a symbol of both governments’ commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.