As Cyprus strengthens its diplomatic and economic engagement with Central Asia, Kazakhstan has emerged as a key strategic partner in the region. With both countries expanding their diplomatic presence and exploring new avenues for cooperation, opportunities are opening up across investment, connectivity, logistics, digitalisation, and tourism. In this interview, His Excellency Petros Nacouzis, Ambassador of Cyprus to the Republic of Kazakhstan, shares his perspective on the strategic importance of Kazakhstan for Cyprus, the practical support available to Cypriot businesses entering the Kazakh market, and the priorities for advancing bilateral and EU–Kazakhstan cooperation in the years ahead.
Cyprus has recently strengthened its presence in Central Asia. From your perspective, what strategic advantages does Kazakhstan offer to Cyprus within the region’s political and economic landscape?
The establishment of our diplomatic mission in Astana a little more than a year ago, will undoubtedly strengthen our presence in this part of the world. Additionally, the opening by Kazakhstan of an Embassy in Nicosia will further advance our bilateral relations and serve our common interests more efficiently.
Kazakhstan occupies a pivotal position in Central Asia, both geographically and strategically, serving as a bridge between Europe and Asia. From Cyprus’s perspective, Kazakhstan offers a stable political environment, a forward-looking economic agenda and a clear commitment to regional connectivity. Its role as a leading economy in Central Asia, combined with its active diplomacy and engagement with international partners, makes it an important interlocutor for Cyprus in the region.
Kazakhstan’s openness to foreign investment, its emphasis on diversification beyond hydrocarbons, and its growing sectors such as logistics, renewable energy, digital technologies and education, create concrete opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. Moreover, Cyprus’s position as an EU Member State allows us to serve as a gateway for Kazakhstan to European markets, regulatory frameworks, and business networks, while Kazakhstan offers Cyprus a valuable entry point into Central Asia.
Cyprus' investments in Kazakhstan since the establishment of diplomatic relations (FDI) have reached €4 billion and 326 companies with Cypriot participation are active in the country.
Beyond economics, we value Kazakhstan’s constructive role in regional stability, multilateral dialogue, and international diplomacy. These shared interests provide a strong foundation for deepening bilateral relations and for Cyprus’s broader engagement with Central Asia.
As more Cypriot companies explore Kazakhstan, what practical support can your Embassy provide to help them navigate regulatory frameworks, culture, and local business norms?
Supporting Cypriot businesses entering the Kazakh market will be a key priority for our Embassy. We will provide practical assistance by offering initial briefings on Kazakhstan’s legal and regulatory environment, investment rules and sector-specific requirements, in close cooperation with relevant Kazakh authorities and institutions.
The Embassy will facilitate the introduction to reliable local partners, business associations and public bodies, helping Cypriot companies build the right networks from the outset. We also intend to work closely with Kazakh investment and trade promotion agencies to identify opportunities and clarify procedures, while guiding companies toward reputable legal, financial, and consulting services when specialized expertise is required.
Through business forums, targeted meetings, and high-level visits, platforms are created where Cypriot and Kazakh businesses can interact directly.
Our role is to act as a trusted bridge, reducing uncertainty, facilitating dialogue and ensuring that Cypriot companies can approach the Kazakh market with confidence and a clear understanding of both the opportunities and the local context.
Kazakhstan positions itself as a major connectivity hub between Europe and Asia. How can Cyprus leverage this to deepen cooperation in areas such as logistics, shipping, aviation, or digital corridors?
Kazakhstan’s role as a key connectivity hub between Europe and Asia aligns naturally with Cyprus’s own strengths, given its strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean among three continents. Cyprus sees strong potential in linking our complementary positions—Kazakhstan as a continental transit and logistics hub and Cyprus as a maritime, aviation, and services gateway to the European Union and the Mediterranean.
In logistics and shipping, Cyprus can contribute its long-standing expertise in maritime services, port management, and ship registration, while exploring cooperation with Kazakhstan on multimodal transport corridors that connect Central Asia with European and Mediterranean markets. In aviation, there is scope to enhance connectivity through partnerships between airlines, cargo services, and civil aviation authorities, facilitating passenger flows, tourism, and high-value freight.
Digital connectivity is another promising area. Cyprus supports initiatives that strengthen digital corridors, data services, and fintech cooperation, drawing on EU standards and regulatory frameworks, which can complement Kazakhstan’s ambitions to become a regional digital hub.
Cyprus brings decades of valuable experience as a leading Mediterranean tourism destination, having successfully developed a diversified, high-quality tourism model that balances growth with sustainability. This expertise can be meaningfully shared with Kazakhstan, a country which has a rich natural and cultural heritage, and which has demonstrated a strong interest in further developing its tourism sector. There is significant potential for cooperation through the exchange of best practices in destination management, sustainable and year-round tourism, digital promotion, and human-capital development.
Looking ahead to Cyprus’s EU Presidency in 2026, which specific initiatives or agreements with Kazakhstan would you personally like to see prioritised and advanced?
As Cyprus prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2026, we see a valuable opportunity to further elevate relations between the European Union and Kazakhstan, with Cyprus playing a constructive role.
Kazakhstan and the European Union held the first round of official negotiations this month, on concluding a Visa Facilitation Agreement and a Readmission Agreement between the two and I hope to see the conclusion of these Agreements during our EU presidency.
During Cyprus’s EU Presidency, we would encourage initiatives that strengthen EU–Kazakhstan engagement in connectivity, digitalisation, energy transition and sustainable transport, building on existing EU–Central Asia frameworks. Cyprus can contribute its experience as an EU Member State and a regional hub, helping to align bilateral cooperation with broader European priorities.
At the bilateral level, one immediate and tangible priority is the launch of direct flights between Cyprus and Kazakhstan supported by our embassy (issuing of visas), hoping to start next summer, which will significantly enhance people-to-people contacts, tourism, and business.
Alongside improved connectivity, I would like to see the timely conclusion and implementation of several pending bilateral agreements and Memorandums of Understanding, as these instruments provide the practical framework that allows cooperation to move from intention to concrete results.
Petros T. Nacouzis is a career diplomat and the first resident Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the Republic of Kazakhstan, having presented his credentials in January 2025. He holds a Law degree from the University of Thessaloniki and an LLM in International Law from the University of Hull (UK). Before joining the Cyprus Foreign Service in 1993, he practiced law in Cyprus. His diplomatic career includes postings in Rome, Damascus, and Moscow, as well as senior roles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia, with a focus on political, consular, and regional affairs. Before his appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Kazakhstan, he served from 2021 to 2024 as Ambassador of Cyprus to Poland, with concurrent accreditation to Lithuania.
