Amr Yehia, from Astana
Astana and Cairo have steadily translated mutual political trust into high-level coordination across multilateral platforms, including the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
As Kazakhstan continues to reshape its domestic political architecture and strengthen its role as one of Eurasia’s key transit hubs, its diplomatic engagement with Egypt offers an increasingly important bridge linking East Asian manufacturing networks with African and Mediterranean markets.
In an exclusive interview in Astana, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arman Kairatovich Issagaliyev, a veteran diplomat who previously served as Ambassador to Egypt, outlines Astana’s vision for deepening Kazakh-Egyptian economic, technological, diplomatic, and strategic cooperation.
How do you assess the current level of political coordination between Egypt and Kazakhstan across multilateral platforms such as the UN, OIC, CICA, and the Non-Aligned Movement?
For more than 34 years, Kazakhstan and Egypt have enjoyed fraternal relations based on mutual trust and respect. The nine rounds of political consultations between our Ministries have become an effective mechanism for strengthening bilateral cooperation. As two important anchors of regional stability in the Middle East and Central Asia, our countries maintain regular high-level contacts and increasingly coordinate positions on key regional and global issues.
We highly value our constructive interaction within the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, CICA, and the Non-Aligned Movement. These platforms allow us to promote common principles, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference, and international law. Looking ahead, closer political coordination and regular consultations will further strengthen relations, enabling both nations to make meaningful contributions to global and regional peace and security.
How has your personal diplomatic experience in Cairo shaped your vision for advancing bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Egypt?
The years I spent in Egypt—first during my studies at the Diplomatic Institute and later as Ambassador—have left an indelible mark on my career and life.
Understanding Egypt’s politics, economy, and regional influence helps me guide our partnership. In my new role, I am dedicated to turning deep mutual trust into practical, advanced projects. We aim to expand trade, improve transport connections, and build stronger partnerships in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and tourism. Amidst global turbulence, close coordination within multilateral frameworks is more vital than ever to promote global peace. My mission is to ensure this strategic partnership continues on an upward trajectory.
How does Kazakhstan view Egypt’s leadership in advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, humanitarian relief, and a two-state solution?
Kazakhstan highly values Egypt’s strategic leadership regarding the crisis in Gaza. Cairo has played a crucial role advocating for an immediate ceasefire, uninterrupted humanitarian access, and the two-state solution as the only viable foundation for lasting peace.
Astana supports Egypt’s efforts to prevent further escalation and believes international law and UN resolutions must remain the basis for resolving the conflict. Kazakhstan has consistently called for civilian protection, humanitarian aid delivery, and a comprehensive political settlement. As a nation with a strong tradition of mediation, Kazakhstan believes cooperation between Astana and Cairo can further strengthen international efforts toward a just, lasting peace.
How does Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry assess the country’s ongoing constitutional reforms and the transition to the Kurultai?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs views the comprehensive constitutional reforms initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as a historic milestone. The transformation of our political architecture, including the enhanced role of the Kurultai as a key institution for nationwide dialogue, reflects the consistent implementation of the „Listening State” concept.
The transition to this new model increases the efficiency of the state apparatus, strengthens checks and balances, and ensures broader citizen participation in decision-making. Internal transformations serve as a solid foundation reaffirming Kazakhstan’s commitment to high international standards of democratic governance. This successful modernization enhances internal stability while reinforcing Kazakhstan’s authority on the international stage as a reliable partner.
How are initiatives such as the Middle Corridor and its alignment with the Belt and Road Initiative reshaping global trade routes through Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan has systematically redefined its transit geography from a landlocked state to Eurasia’s central „land-linked” trade bridge. In an era of supply chain vulnerabilities, route diversification and predictable logistics are imperative. President Tokayev’s strategy focuses on building an integrated transport architecture connecting East Asian manufacturing centers with markets in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or Middle Corridor, is the centerpiece of this strategy, operating in synergy with the Belt and Road Initiative. Transit along the TITR has demonstrated solid performance: in 2025, containerized transit surged by 15% to 42,000 TEUs, while overall transit volumes grew by 12%. When maritime straits face risks of closure, supply chain predictability becomes vital currency in global trade. To guarantee this, Kazakhstan is executing sweeping infrastructure upgrades—launching major railway expansion projects, establishing a dedicated container hub on the Caspian coast, and developing a 17-unit commercial trade fleet by 2030 through private investment.
How does Astana define its role and responsibility as a leading “middle power” in maintaining regional stability while safeguarding its strategic autonomy?
As a leading „middle power”, Kazakhstan defines its responsibility through strengthening multilateralism, upholding international law, and reinforcing the central role of the United Nations. We firmly believe that small and medium-sized states should not become hostages to bloc-based mentalities or passive observers of geopolitical rivalries. On the contrary, our mission is to act as a constructive bridge-builder, a platform for dialogue, and a reliable mediator in conflict resolution.
Guided strictly by our national interests, we actively expand strategic partnerships with key players across the East, West, North, and South. For Astana, safeguarding strategic autonomy does not mean isolationism; rather, it means strategic diversification of our foreign policy, transport-logistics, and economic ties. By spearheading critical initiatives like the Middle Corridor, Kazakhstan demonstrates that a nation’s sovereign autonomy is reinforced when its domestic stability serves the collective interest of the international community.
What mechanisms are being developed to increase bilateral trade, and how does Kazakhstan view the Suez Canal Economic Zone as a potential gateway to African markets?
Egypt holds a distinct place in the Middle East and North Africa as a long-standing economic partner for Kazakhstan. Bilateral trade demonstrates solid momentum: trade turnover reached $351.9 million in 2025 (a 28.5% year-on-year increase) and accelerated to $329.9 million in just the first five months of 2026. Our Embassy in Cairo plays a central role establishing direct ties with major Egyptian private sector conglomerates to turn political understanding into concrete joint ventures.
Food security remains a key area where Kazakhstan offers quality and reliability. Last year, Kazakhstan expanded grain exports to North Africa, delivering nearly 390,000 tonnes of wheat to Algeria for the first time and resuming supplies to Morocco. We stand ready to apply these proven supply mechanisms to Egypt, while boosting deliveries from our metallurgical, chemical, and food industries.
Utilizing specialized industrial platforms within the Suez Canal Economic Zone will allow Kazakh companies to establish manufacturing bases in Egypt. Processing raw materials within Egyptian economic zones enables goods to attain local origin status, unlocking tariff-free access across the 1.5-billion-consumer African market under the AfCFTA. Furthermore, as Eurasia’s digital leader ranked 24th globally in the UN e-Government index, Kazakhstan actively exports GovTech platforms. A clear example of our technological presence in Egypt is the Kazakhstani IT platform inDrive, which has expanded across more than 25 Egyptian cities.
How do you assess the cooperation between Almaty’s Nur-Mubarak University and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in promoting religious tolerance and moderate Islamic education?
The Egyptian University of Islamic Culture „Nur-Mubarak” in Almaty occupies a special place in Kazakhstan’s educational and spiritual landscape. Since its establishment, the University has served as an important bridge between Kazakhstan and Egypt, making a significant contribution to training qualified religious scholars and promoting moderate Islamic values.
We highly value the University’s close cooperation with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, one of the world’s most respected centers of Islamic learning. Through academic exchanges and educational programs, Nur-Mubarak benefits from Al-Azhar’s rich intellectual traditions while adapting them to the cultural context of Kazakhstan. In the face of growing challenges related to radicalization, quality religious education based on authentic Islamic knowledge is one of the most effective tools for preventing extremist narratives.
Over the years, Nur-Mubarak has trained approximately 2,500 qualified religious scholars. Kazakhstan supports further strengthening Nur-Mubarak and its cooperation with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, with the vision of transforming the University into a prestigious international institution of higher Islamic education in Central Asia to promote religious tolerance, social harmony, and regional stability.
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