BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 15. Trade turnover
between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia increased by 2.9 times in
January-April of 2026, exceeding $6.1 million, the Government of
Kazakhstan says.
The announcement was made during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of
Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef, who arrived in
Astana to participate in the Astana Mining & Metallurgy 2026
congress.
It was noted that in 2025, mutual trade between the two
countries increased by 17%, reaching $11.7 million. Saudi Arabia
remains one of Kazakhstan’s key trade and economic partners in the
Middle East. Over the past 20 years, Saudi Arabia’s total foreign
direct investment in Kazakhstan amounted to $115.3 million.
The sides emphasized that the agreements signed in February this
year – the establishment of the Kazakhstan–Saudi Coordination
Council and the Agreement on mutual promotion and protection of
investments – create additional opportunities for new joint
initiatives.
The meeting focused on further development of cooperation in the
mining and metallurgical sector, as well as prospects for joint
projects in critical minerals. Discussions covered cooperation in
exploration, extraction, and processing of natural resources, along
with the development of high-value-added production.
The participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening
bilateral cooperation in the mining and critical minerals
industries.
Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia have been steadily developing their
partnership across political, economic, and multilateral
dimensions. According to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Saudi Arabia,
the two countries maintain active cooperation within international
organizations, including the UN and the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), and continue to align positions on key global
and regional issues. Saudi Arabia has supported several
Kazakhstan-led initiatives, including the country’s candidacy for
non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2017–2018,
accession to the WTO, and the EXPO-2017 international
exhibition.
