Seoul, 11 February 2026 – A meeting was held in Seoul between Nurgali Arystanov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, and Park Chongho, Executive Director of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO).

During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for cooperation in sustainable forest management, reforestation, and technology transfer, as well as cooperation within multilateral forums.

In this context, the Ambassador handed over to the head of AFoCO an invitation to take part in the Regional Ecological Summit, to be held in Astana on 22–24 April 2026, and emphasized the importance of the upcoming event as a platform for promoting practical solutions in the field of ecology and sustainable development.

It was noted that the Summit was being held at the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who, in his remarks at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, underscored the importance of international efforts to protect the environment and respond to climate challenges. The Kazakh diplomat also briefly highlighted the “Taza Kazakhstan” initiative, which aims to foster a careful attitude toward nature as a national value.

The head of AFoCO expressed interest in further developing cooperation with Kazakhstan and readiness to support joint initiatives and share practical experience, including capacity-building programs.

The meeting also confirmed the positive momentum of cooperation in a number of areas, including capacity building and Train-the-Trainers programs, the transfer of know-how, and the exchange of experience, including on forest fire prevention and suppression.

Following the meeting, the sides reaffirmed their intention to continue joint work and implement new initiatives.

It should be noted that Kazakhstan has been a member of AFoCO since 4 October 2019. With AFoCO’s support, Kazakhstan is implementing projects on the inventory of unaccounted forests and the introduction of digital forest data management in the Kostanay and North Kazakhstan regions, the establishment of a forest nursery complex, as well as reforestation in areas of the Abai region affected by wildfires, coupled with enhanced competencies in forest fire prevention and suppression.

Overall, AFoCO implements projects in member countries focused on reforestation and capacity development. In 2024, the total value of AFoCO’s project portfolio was estimated at USD 235 million, and under its training programs 136 courses were conducted in 2014–2025, involving more than 27,000 participants from government agencies and local communities.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-seoul/press/news/details/1161869?lang=kk