Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin held a meeting with Germany's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the country, Heike Peitsch, congratulating her on the start of her diplomatic mission. The official portal of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported this.
The parties discussed prospects for further expanding trade and economic cooperation, including industrial cooperation, attracting investment and developing joint projects.
Germany remains one of Kazakhstan's key economic partners in Europe. Last year, trade between the countries amounted to $4.5 billion, an increase of 13.4%. Since 2005, cumulative German investment has reached $8 billion. More than 1,100 companies with German capital operate in Kazakhstan, including Knauf, CLAAS, HORSCH and Heidelberg Materials.
Further cooperation envisages expanding existing production facilities, increasing localisation and attracting Kazakh suppliers. An important task is to increase output of high value-added products and strengthen the position of Kazakh producers in the German market. The Roadmap for 2026–2028 serves as the basis for this work.
The parties paid particular attention to Central Asia's role in developing regional ties and international trade. Heike Peitsch emphasised Germany's and European countries' interest in strengthening cooperation in the region, which opens prospects for expanding trade routes and entering new markets.
Serik Zhumangarin noted that Central Asia's future is largely linked to the development of transport links in the southern direction. Kazakhstan is interested in diversifying routes and strengthening interaction with the countries of the region. In particular, a project to build a railway through Afghanistan towards Pakistan is under consideration. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the UAE have already signed a memorandum of understanding on this project.
According to Heike Peitsch, the development of such routes is of interest not only to Central Asian countries but also to Germany. The region could become an important link between the markets of Europe and Asia. This concerns not only rail links but also the development of digital communications, gas pipelines and oil pipelines, which would expand opportunities for trade and economic interaction.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue interaction on bilateral cooperation issues and to maintain regular dialogue on current areas of Kazakh-German relations.