ASTANA — Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Spain have evolved into a robust partnership grounded in mutual respect, multilateralism, and sustained engagement, said Spanish Ambassador Luis Francisco Martínez Montes in an interview with The Astana Times. For him, Kazakhstan is more than a diplomatic post – it is a personal journey that has come full circle.
Ambassador of Spain Luis Francisco Martínez Montes. Photo credit: Nargiz Raimbekova / The Astana Times
“I was hosted in Kazakhstan 25 years ago as a young diplomat. Twenty five years later I have returned to Astana as ambassador. In a certain sense, the many roads that I have taken in my life have always led me to this place. I consider myself fortunate for being back in a country that is very close to my heart and was never far away from my mind,” said Martínez Montes.
“This also allows me to speak about our bilateral relations not from the pages of a book but from personal and professional experience,” he added.
From strategic partnership to expanding trade
Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, Spain and Kazakhstan have signed more than 32 normative and non-normative agreements, covering sectors ranging from legal and judicial cooperation to culture, education, and reciprocal investments. A strategic partnership was formalized in 2009, celebrating its 15th anniversary last year.
He attributes the strength of bilateral relations to three main factors, including a shared commitment to international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter, belief in multilateralism, and long-standing diplomatic engagement.
“Our excellent bilateral relations are not due to serendipity. Far from it. They are the result of many years of closely working together both at the bilateral and multilateral levels on a multiplicity of issues. Diplomacy is like gardening: you have to nurture your bilateral and multilateral relations as if you were tending to your own garden, caringly and constantly,” said Martínez Montes.
He highlighted the attendance of His Majesty King Felipe VI at the opening of EXPO 2017 in Astana as a key milestone in bilateral ties between the two countries.
Kazakhstan’s global footprint
Martínez Montes emphasized Kazakhstan’s rising role in multilateral diplomacy, citing nonproliferation, peacekeeping, and cultural dialogue initiatives.
The Astana Times reporter Nagima Abuova and Ambassador of Spain Luis Francisco Martínez Montes during their conversation. Photo credit: Nargiz Raimbekova / The Astana Times
“Kazakhstan is already established as a very constructive player (…) not only at the regional level, but on the global stage,” he said.
He noted major milestones from Kazakhstan’s Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) chairmanship in 2010 to its UN Security Council term in 2017-2018. He commended the country’s diplomatic success in securing a new UN regional center for sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Almaty, co-sponsored by Spain.
“It has been a triumph for Kazakhstan’s diplomacy that merits to be recognized as such,” he said.
Trade growth and financing partnerships
In 2024, bilateral trade between the two countries reached 2.2 billion euros (US$2.5 billion), with 1.7 billion euros (US$1.9 billion) in Kazakh exports, mainly oil and gas, and 500 million euros (US$560 million) in Spanish exports, up from 115 million euros (US$128.9 million) in 2020.
Spain now has 237 regular exporters to Kazakhstan, with goods ranging from aircraft and industrial equipment to pharmaceuticals, food, and fashion.
“Though the trend is on the ascendant, I do not like being complacent. There is a lot of room for improvement,” he said, noting the growing popularity of Spanish wines and olive oil among Kazakh consumers.
Martínez Montes highlighted that to address challenges such as limited awareness among Spanish businesses and financing hurdles, Banco Santander, the largest European Union bank by market capitalization, signed a framework agreement with the Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK).
“Under the agreement, Banco Santander will provide DBK with financing of up to 400 million euros (US$450 million) under the insurance coverage of export credit agencies. The funds will be used to finance strategic projects involving international exporters, allowing Kazakhstan to attract advanced technologies and to modernize infrastructure,” said Martínez Montes.
From railways to rare earths
Spain plays a crucial role in Kazakhstan’s infrastructure development. Talgo trains, introduced in the early 2000s, now operate nationwide, with local workshops employing 400 workers.
“I was in Kazakhstan when Talgo won its first contract in the early 2000s. Let us not forget that Spain has the largest high speed rail network in Europe and the second largest in the world, only after China. The arrival of Talgo was a milestone for our bilateral relations,” said Martínez Montes.
Other prominent Spanish companies with a strong presence in Kazakhstan include Maxam, operating in the mining industry, Fluidra, specializing in pools and water management systems, Mango and Inditex, both in the fashion retail sector, Glovo, a digital delivery platform, and Xcalibur, a global leader in AI-driven subsoil mapping. Xcalibur is also advancing projects in water exploration and mapping rare earth elements in Kazakhstan.
Additionally, Martínez Montes highlighted Airbus’ cooperation as a key area in aerospace.
“Kazakhstan has ordered twelve C295 aircrafts and two A400M aircrafts. The first A400M unit was delivered at the end of 2024 and it is already operational, helping Kazakhstan in emerging situations, expanding its humanitarian influence in the region and supporting the Kazakh armed forces in peacekeeping missions. The second A400M is scheduled to be delivered in 2026,” said Martínez Montes.
He also highlighted one of the most recent achievements — an engineering giant, Técnicas Reunidas, which, in partnership with Sinopec, secured a 2.3 billion euro (US$2.6 billion) contract to build an ethylene plant in Atyrau. The company will also launch an engineering center in Kazakhstan and enroll 30 Kazakh students annually in a dual-country training program.
Culture on the global stage
Spain is deepening its cultural engagement and dialogue with Central Asia through diverse artistic initiatives, from contemporary art and jazz to classical music and opera.
“We have brought the young Spanish artist Miguel Sbastida, who works at the intersection of art, science and the environment, to the Ancient Futures festival that took place in Almaty a couple of weeks ago,” said Martínez Montes, highlighting the growing presence of Spanish creatives in Kazakhstan and the region.
Another notable contribution came from musician Luis Giménez Amorós, who performed at jazz festivals in Bishkek and Almaty.
“He brought to Central Asia a unique blend of rhythms from Latin America, Spain, Africa, and the Middle East,” said Martínez Montes. Amorós performed on guitar with young Kyrgyz and Kazakh musicians playing traditional instruments such as the dombra and the kobyz.
This summer, Spanish visual artist Juan Saliquet is expected to take up residency at the Gallery Essentai in Almaty. Looking ahead, Martínez Montes revealed plans for a joint exhibition.
“From September to November, we are planning a big exhibition in Astana bringing together young Spanish and Kazakh painters at the Forte Kulanshi Art Center,” he said.
The classical music calendar is also rich with Spanish presence. In June, renowned tenor Josep Carreras, famous for performing alongside Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo, will give farewell concerts in Almaty and Astana, accompanied by Spanish conductor David Giménez.
Martínez Montes also shared the excitement around Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen’s upcoming performance in Barcelona and noted efforts to translate Abai’s Book of Words into Spanish.
“Actually, the awareness of Kazakhstan in Spain dates back to medieval times. The first visual representation in the West of the Silk Road with a detailed image of the khan of the Golden Horde, Janibek Khan, with its distinctive flag appears in the so called Catalan Atlas, which was manufactured in 1375 in the Crown of Aragon, one of the formative kingdoms of Spain,” he said.
Spain is also ramping up its gastronomic presence in Kazakhstan with wine tastings in Almaty and Astana, a Spanish gastronomy week and new tapas venues opening soon.
“What I want to do is to bring some of that experience here to Kazakhstan. Of course, there are already Spanish restaurants, but not enough (…) We want Kazakhstan to experience further one of the best gastronomic traditions in the world,” said Martínez Montes.
Sports diplomacy and academic exchange
This summer, Atlético de Madrid will open a football academy near Almaty in partnership with Doscar Group. The facilities will host hundreds of young athletes from Central Asia, offering training, schooling, and a path to continue studying in Madrid.
“The premises of the Academy, which I have visited, are state of the art and they will include a modern residence, a boarding school, gyms, six training pitches and a stadium for 10000 spectators. The best students will also have the opportunity to continue their training in Madrid,” said Martínez Montes.
He also highlighted a landmark film co-production, La Tregua (Truce), backed by Netflix and based on historical events in the Karlag. It will feature Spanish and Kazakh actors and is expected to premiere at major European festivals next fall.
“The film has already been filmed and it is in its final editing phase. It is about a real story related to the struggle for survival of several hundred Spanish prisoners who ended up in the Karlag during Stalin’s time,” he said.
On the academic front, Martínez Montes highlighted a rising interest in Spanish studies among Kazakh students, with 1,000 enrolled each year. He noted that Spain finances two lectorships at the Nazarbayev University and the Eurasian National University in Astana.
“One of the latest examples in the university field has been the visit by members of the Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU) to Madrid, Barcelona and my hometown, Alcalá de Henares, where Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote was born,” said Martínez Montes.
“The MNU Business School signed a memorandum with the Johan Cruyff Institute, a globally renowned institution in sports and management education based in Barcelona. This partnership, which is the first of its kind in Kazakhstan, will introduce a dual-degree MBA in Sports Management,” he added.
Shared lessons on tourism
With 94 million international arrivals in 2024, Spain is ready to share tourism development expertise. Martínez Montes said Spain issues around 24,000 visas annually to Kazakh citizens, with numbers rising steadily.
“The big game changer would be the opening of one or several direct air routes between our two countries, so that more Spanish visitors can also enjoy Kazakhstan. And not only Spaniards, but also tourists and residents from the Americas and the rest of Europe, since Spanish airports, like Madrid Barajas and Barcelona, are very busy connecting hubs among several continents,” he said.
Martínez Montes also highlighted the exchange of experiences to support Kazakhstan’s efforts to become a more popular tourist destination.
“You have it all in terms of vibrant cities, natural landscapes and also historical sites (…) We want to help Kazakhstan become a recognised and attractive brand in the global touristic map,” he said, noting his recent meeting with Kazakh Tourism to organize a virtual workshop with Spanish partners.
