In his remarks, the Head of State expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the initiative to organize this important event.

“I consider my first state visit to Pakistan a historic milestone in our bilateral cooperation. We have signed a Joint Declaration elevating our partnership to a strategic level. During today’s business forum, more than 30 commercial agreements worth approximately 200 million US dollars were signed, which will serve as a powerful catalyst for further strengthening trade, economic, and investment cooperation between our brotherly nations. Indeed, our partnership continues to expand steadily. Last year, trade turnover between our countries nearly doubled. More than 200 companies with Pakistani capital are already operating in Kazakhstan in construction, agriculture, the food industry, manufacturing, and many other sectors. Building on this positive momentum, we have set an ambitious yet achievable goal of increasing bilateral trade to one billion dollars,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated.

The President noted that he had instructed the Government to intensify interaction between the business communities of the two countries, including through the mechanisms of the Kazakhstan–Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission.

“Kazakhstan, as the largest economy in Central Asia, plays an important role in ensuring regional growth and creating new opportunities. Last year, our economy grew by 6.5 percent, with GDP exceeding 300 billion US dollars and GDP per capita reaching 15,000 US dollars. These indicators underscore the resilience of our market and its high economic potential. We remain committed to sustaining progress by consistently improving our institutional framework. Our economic strategy is aimed at diversifying trade and investment, stimulating innovation, and promoting a knowledge-based development model. The Foreign Investors’ Council, which I chair, reflects our unwavering commitment to transparency, fairness, and the continuous improvement of the business climate in Kazakhstan. The national digital investment platform operating on a “single-window” principle will further simplify processes for both investors and businesses,” the Head of State said.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that the Astana International Financial Centre is a leading regional hub for investment, innovation, and corporate services.

“To date, more than 5,000 companies from nearly 100 countries operate successfully on this platform. Notably, 11 Pakistani companies are already represented in this dynamic ecosystem, and we expect new participants to join in the near future. Kazakhstan seeks to ensure a stable and transparent investment climate, providing Pakistani businesses with effective tools to access the markets of Kazakhstan and the wider region,” the President added.

According to the Head of State, Kazakhstan and Pakistan occupy strategically important geographic positions, serving as key links in regional and global connectivity.

“Kazakhstan, located at the heart of Eurasia, plays a crucial role in continental trade, accounting for 85 percent of overland cargo transportation between Europe and China. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or Middle Corridor, is becoming an increasingly important factor strengthening Kazakhstan’s role as a transcontinental trade hub. We have also developed a unified digital management platform, Smart Cargo, to improve coordination of transit flows. In this regard, I welcome the agreements signed by our national railway operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, and Kazpost with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation and Pakistan Post. We expect concrete steps toward advancing multimodal transport solutions and expanding mutual access to port infrastructure in our countries,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.

The President stressed that both countries, as members of the Islamic Organization for Food Security, are committed to building sustainable and equitable food systems for the entire Islamic world.

“We export more than 200 types of agricultural products to over 70 countries. Over the past decade, the gross output of our agricultural sector has increased more than 2.5 times, and we aim to double this figure by 2030. As we strengthen our position as a reliable producer of high-quality and environmentally friendly agricultural products, consistent steps are being taken to expand partnerships and create new supply chains at both regional and global levels. In this regard, we welcome Pakistani experience and capital in this sector. The signing of an agreement with Almoiz Group to launch a sugar beet processing plant in the Zhetysu region is an important step in our cooperation,” the Head of State said.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes that digitalization will become a key driver of future progress in trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. He praised the Pakistani Government’s efforts to implement advanced digital solutions.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif consistently emphasizes the crucial role of digital transformation in ensuring the competitiveness of Pakistan’s economy. Kazakhstan shares this forward-looking vision and believes in the transformative potential of digital innovation for both countries. We have set an ambitious goal of becoming a fully digital nation within the next few years. To achieve this, we established the first Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development in our region, as well as the International Artificial Intelligence Center, which serves as a leading platform for innovation, research, and technological advancement. The city of Alatau, our flagship urban development project, will form a comprehensive legal, digital, and financial ecosystem designed to attract capital and stimulate sustainable growth in the most innovative sectors of the economy. Last year, we launched two supercomputers—an important step toward developing our own large language models and accelerating technological progress in Kazakhstan. Our efforts have already produced major IT players at both national and global levels. For example, the Kazakh IT platform inDrive is widely present in Pakistan and, as of 2025, holds more than 60 percent of the country’s taxi market, ranking as the number one urban ride-hailing application. I invite Pakistani partners to take advantage of our IT and investment opportunities,” the President said.

In conclusion, the Head of State noted that the new stage of partnership between Kazakhstan and Pakistan opens broad prospects for further expanding cooperation across the entire bilateral economic agenda.

For his part, the Prime Minister of Pakistan emphasized the importance of today’s business forum for deepening trade, economic, and investment cooperation between the two countries.

“Today we agreed to make every effort to raise bilateral trade to one billion dollars annually within the next two years and to achieve this goal even earlier if possible. I am deeply grateful to my dear brother for the invitation to visit brotherly Kazakhstan this year. I accept this invitation with great joy and appreciation. We have decided to establish a bilateral working group tasked with developing a five-year program to expand our joint trade and investment portfolio,” Shehbaz Sharif said.

Following the Kazakh-Pakistani Business Forum, more than 30 commercial agreements worth approximately 200 million US dollars were signed. The agreements aim to expand cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan in finance, logistics, industry, energy, the agro-industrial sector, digitalization, and infrastructure.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-islamabad/press/news/details/1155933?lang=kk