President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides flew to Kazakhstan on 2 June on the first direct flight from Larnaca to Astana. This fact alone set the tone for the entire visit: the symbolic gesture of the President’s trip on the very first day Air Astana opened the route speaks for itself. Cyprus attaches great importance to the development of relations with Kazakhstan.
For Kazakhstan, the visit was an opportunity to show that its relations with Cyprus go beyond ordinary diplomacy. The reception of the Cypriot President was organised at the highest level. It is also important to remember that the Republic of Cyprus currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The meeting at this particular time underlined Kazakhstan’s intention to build practical and friendly relations with the European Union.
The Cypriot delegation included representatives of both the government and the business community. This is what made the visit particularly substantial. The meeting of the two Presidents was the central part of a much broader programme. Agreements were signed, meetings between ministers were held, a business forum took place, and entrepreneurs from the two countries had the opportunity to meet. A formal reception was also organised at the Embassy of Cyprus to mark its official opening, although in reality the embassy has already been operating for a year. Of course, during a presidential visit it was important to include such an event in the programme.
The main political part of the visit took place on 3 June, when the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, warmly received his Cypriot counterpart. First, the two leaders held talks in a narrow format. This was followed by an expanded meeting of the delegations.
Kazakh media emphasised that Nikos Christodoulides had already visited Astana in 2019, when he was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus. At that time, he spoke about his readiness to be Kazakhstan’s friend in the European Union. And he kept his promise. Now he has returned as President of a country which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Tokayev noted that relations between the two countries had made noticeable progress in recent years: embassies have been opened, direct flights have been launched, and a number of important initiatives have been implemented. At the same time, the President of Kazakhstan stressed that the current level of trade does not reflect the real potential of cooperation between the two economies.
Nikos Christodoulides, in turn, spoke about the importance of Kazakhstan as a key country in Central Asia and as a strategic partner of the European Union. He underlined that Cyprus, as a member of the EU and the eurozone, can be a reliable partner for Kazakh companies working with the European market. This is the central message of the Cypriot delegation: Cyprus positions itself as a meeting point for successful communication and cooperation between Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.
During the visit, the President of Kazakhstan awarded President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides the Order of Dostyk. This was not merely a protocol gesture. The Kazakh side presented the award as recognition of the Cypriot President’s personal contribution to the development of relations between the two countries.
Following the talks, the sides signed five documents.
1. A Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of information and communication technologies, e-government, space activities and cybersecurity.
2. A Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation.
3. A Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in education and science.
4. A Memorandum of Understanding in the field of sport.
5. An agreement between the Foreign Trade Chamber of Kazakhstan and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the development of investment and business opportunities.
This set of documents clearly shows how both countries see the future agenda. Several working channels have been created: education, culture, sport, digitalisation, cybersecurity, business and investment. This is a proven way to build relations between countries: through consistent actions based on a carefully prepared plan.
After the talks, the Presidents made statements to the media.
Nikos Christodoulides described the visit as historic. He spoke about the strong political will of both countries, the need for regular dialogue, and the fact that the signed documents turn the potential of relations into a more concrete framework for cooperation. He placed particular emphasis on the economy: trade, investment, financial services, shipping, information technology, fintech, logistics, renewable energy and cooperation with the AIFC, the Astana International Financial Centre.
President Tokayev referred to specific figures. He noted that more than 400 companies with Cypriot capital are already operating in Kazakhstan, with 33 of them registered at the Astana International Financial Centre. He invited Cypriot companies to invest more actively and expand their presence in Kazakhstan, promising government support.
In the political part, both Presidents spoke about their commitment to international law, the UN Charter, and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. For Cyprus, this is important, because every foreign policy meeting is inevitably also viewed through the prism of the Cyprus problem.
The Business Forum: from Symbolic Meetings to Practical Conversations
After the official talks, the Kazakhstan-Cyprus Business Forum was held. It was attended by the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov. The forum brought together more than 70 representatives of the business communities of the two countries.
Cyprus is looking for new areas of growth, new markets and new roles in international relations. Kazakhstan is developing its transport, digital and investment infrastructure and wants to work with partners who can provide access to European markets.
At the forum, Nikos Christodoulides spoke of Kazakhstan as a strategically important partner in Central Asia. He stressed Kazakhstan’s growing role in connecting Europe and Asia and in creating new trade and investment corridors across Eurasia.
Olzhas Bektenov presented Kazakhstan as a country focused on economic diversification, innovation, investor protection and the development of a knowledge-based economy. He recalled that Kazakhstan occupies an important position in land transport between China and Europe. According to the figures mentioned at the forum, more than 80% of land cargo traffic between China and Europe passes through Kazakhstan. Cyprus, for its part, offers expertise in shipping, maritime services, ship management and logistics.
In the agricultural sector, Kazakhstan sees opportunities for cooperation, taking into account the growing importance of food security. Kazakhstan is among the ten largest grain producers in the world and exports grain to more than 70 countries. Cyprus, in turn, can export olives, citrus fruit, cheeses, wine, fruit, vegetables and medicinal herbs to Kazakhstan.
Digital technologies were also discussed separately. Kazakhstan is developing e-government, fintech, its start-up ecosystem, venture financing and artificial intelligence. The international artificial intelligence centre Alem.AI operates in Astana, Astana Hub is developing, and supercomputers have been launched. For Cypriot companies, this can be not only a new market, but also a platform for joint projects.
First, Cyprus is expanding its geography. It is looking not only towards Europe and the Middle East, but also towards Central Asia.
Second, Kazakhstan is looking for partners within the European Union who can be flexible and practically useful. Cyprus can offer precisely such a combination: a familiar and tested legal system, a well-designed tax environment, high-quality financial services, expertise in shipping and personal business connections.
Third, the direct flight is a real breakthrough for the dynamics of meetings, tourism and business communication. As long as there is no direct connection between countries, and as long as travelling between them is inconvenient, time-consuming and expensive, business plans remain theoretical.
I have been accompanying Presidents of Cyprus for more than 20 years. During this time, I have had the opportunity to work during the visits of Presidents Papadopoulos, Christofias and Anastasiades. This visit was my first as part of a delegation accompanying President Christodoulides.
On the way to Astana, I was sitting next to the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy. To his right was the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, and directly in front of me sat the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They worked throughout the flight: reading documents, reviewing reports and press publications prepared by their aides, and writing notes. For all four hours, without stopping. We were delayed before departure, but then reached Astana in record time, in just four hours instead of five. I was surprised by their concentration. Only in the final half hour of the flight, when the descent had already been announced and passengers were asked to close their tray tables, did the ministers finally exhale and allow themselves to rest.
Such serious preparation shows that these people take their work with full responsibility and had clearly prepared well for the visit to Kazakhstan.
At the hotel, we were met by the ambassadors: in the photo below, on the left, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Cyprus, Nikolay Zhumakanov, and on the right, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Kazakhstan, Petros Nacouzis.
Central Asia is geographically far from Cyprus. But with this visit it became closer. Not only because a direct flight was launched, but also because the leaders of the two states and members of their governments are clearly committed to serious joint work. I was part of the delegation of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and direct business communication between the heads of companies from the two countries became an important element of the visit. As can be seen in the photo below, I recorded the most important points on video.
Natalia Kardash
Photos: Press Offices of the Presidents of Cyprus and Kazakhstan, Freedom company press service, Vestnik Kipra, personal archive.
