Astana, April 23, 2025 – Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Gordan Grlić-Radman, as part of his official visit to Kazakhstan.

The main topics of discussion included cooperation in the political, trade-economic, and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Special attention was given to the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković to Kazakhstan and his participation in the Astana International Forum. In addition, the parties thoroughly discussed the implementation of agreements reached during Nurtleu’s visit to Zagreb in November 2024.

“Croatia is one of Kazakhstan’s key partners in the Balkans and the European Union. Economic cooperation is a priority and a major driving force of our bilateral relations,” emphasized the Kazakh Foreign Minister.

Last year, the volume of mutual trade reached 282 million US dollars, placing Croatia among Kazakhstan’s top 15 trading partners within the EU.

For his part, Grlić-Radman reaffirmed the Croatian Government’s strong commitment to strengthening comprehensive cooperation with Kazakhstan in all areas of mutual interest. Energy, transport and logistics, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and agriculture were identified as priority areas.

The ministers expressed confidence that the Kazakhstan-Croatia Business Forum and the visit to the International IT Startup Park “Astana Hub,” both organized as part of the visit, would contribute to fostering contacts and creating favorable conditions for the business communities of the two countries.

The head of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry noted that the present event marks a starting point for the intensification of political dialogue aimed at strengthening economic ties between Kazakhstan and Croatia. He underscored that the meeting reflects the growing momentum in the development of traditionally friendly bilateral relations.

In the cultural and humanitarian domain, the foreign ministers agreed to mutually provide scholarships for students of both countries.

During the exchange of views on current regional and global issues, the head of Kazakhstan’s diplomacy reaffirmed the country’s firm adherence to the principles of the UN Charter and its balanced and pragmatic foreign policy, which is focused on resolving conflicts exclusively by peaceful means.

Minister Nurtleu expressed gratitude to the Croatian side for its support in the establishment of the UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.

As a result of the talks, both parties agreed to pursue further joint efforts to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Alongside the official negotiations, the foreign ministers inaugurated the Kazakhstan-Croatia Business Forum with the participation of representatives from the business circles of both countries. The event served as a platform for discussing prospects for bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy, construction, information technology, tourism, and agriculture.

Entrepreneurs from Kazakhstan and Croatia confirmed their interest in expanding trade and economic ties and in implementing joint projects aimed at developing a sustainable partnership.

Within the framework of the visit, the Croatian Minister was received by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/982157?lang=kk