NEW DELHI – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to participate in the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 12-13, with Kazakhstan seeking to advance cooperation in energy, critical minerals, transport connectivity and global water security.
Photo credit: chinaglobalsouth.com
India is hosting the summit under the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. BRICS is a group of eleven major emerging markets and developing countries of the world. They include Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, representing almost half of the world’s population and 40% of the global GDP.
Priorities of Kazakhstan, which joined the group as a partner country in 2025, were presented by Kazakh Ambassador to India Azamat Eskarayev at the BRICS Energy Partnerships for Progress and Prosperity diplomatic dialogue in New Delhi on Sept. 3.
Energy security was among the central topics of the meeting. Participants discussed traditional and renewable energy, new technologies, infrastructure, investment and critical minerals. Particular attention was given to resilient supply chains and emerging energy and transport corridors.
For Kazakhstan, the agenda closely aligns with its efforts to strengthen its role in Eurasian transport and energy connectivity. Eskarayev emphasized the country’s potential in traditional energy, renewable energy and critical minerals.
The discussion was not focused on a single project or agreement but on areas Kazakhstan intends to promote through the BRICS partnership.
Water initiative adds another dimension
Separately, Yeskarayev highlighted Tokayev’s initiative to establish an International Water Organization under the auspices of the United Nations.
The initiative calls for stronger international coordination on water resources and seeks to bring greater political attention to global water security. Kazakhstan has previously presented the proposal in other international forums, including the United Nations.
According to Aidar Kurmashev, head of the Asian Studies Department at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan (KazISS), the initiative could gain practical value if it is accompanied by cooperation on water technologies and management.
He suggested that Kazakhstan could develop pilot projects for arid regions involving satellite monitoring of water resources, digital irrigation management, wastewater reuse and specialist training.
“Kazakhstan could offer its territory for pilot projects involving Indian, Chinese and Emirati companies. Then the idea of an international water organization will gain a practical dimension, and potential partners will see specific facilities, technology needs and a possible financing model,” Kurmashev told The Astana Times.
From critical minerals to concrete projects
Kurmashev noted that in critical minerals, Kazakhstan should promote projects focused on domestic processing, component manufacturing and modern exploration technologies, Kurmashev said.
He emphasized that projects should have a clearly defined resource base, site, energy and water requirements, technology partner, potential buyer and financing model. The same approach should apply to transport and digital projects.
“Tokayev’s participation in the summit could help present Kazakhstan as an independent Eurasian participant with a practical agenda covering transport, energy, water and food security and technology,” Kurmashev said.
“The Indian context is also important. India’s chairmanship makes South Asia, sustainable supply chains and technological cooperation issues more prominent,” he added.
However, he noted that the value of Kazakhstan’s participation should ultimately be measured by what follows the summit.
“Political presence should be assessed by the continuation: whether there are bilateral agreements, responsible operators and projects with certain deadlines after the summit,” Kurmashev said.
BRICS as a tool for economic diversification
For Kazakhstan, BRICS can provide an additional platform for expanding economic ties beyond its traditional partners, particularly with major economies in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
The grouping was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have since joined as members.
Kazakhstan is not a BRICS member but became one of the group’s partner countries in 2025. It participated in the 2025 BRICS Summit in Brazil as a partner country.
According to Kurmashev, the partner-country format gives Kazakhstan flexibility to advance its interests without making BRICS an exclusive foreign policy platform.
“Kazakhstan has a dense network of bilateral and multilateral channels with Russia and China. These are the Eurasian Economic Union and the the Commonwealth of Independent States with Russia, the the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, the Central Asia-China format and regular high-level meetings,” Kurmashev said.
“Therefore, the additional value of BRICS lies primarily in reaching a wider audience. On the same platform, Kazakhstan gets access to the leadership and business circles of India, Brazil, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Egypt and other countries with which the intensity of economic contacts still varies,” he said.
Kurmashev emphasized that BRICS membership or partnership does not automatically increase trade. The grouping is not a customs union and does not create a common market or uniform tariffs.
Its practical value lies in bringing governments, companies and development institutions closer together, helping them identify partners and address barriers.
For Kazakhstan, the success of economic diversification should therefore be measured not simply by total trade with BRICS countries, but by increased trade with countries such as India, Brazil, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt and South Africa, the emergence of new export categories and a broader investor base.
Kurmashev suggested that government agencies along with QazTrade, a state-owned agency aimed at promoting trade, develop individual country strategies, organize trade missions and support companies through the contracting process.
Can BRICS strengthen transport links with India?
Transport connectivity is another area where Kazakhstan sees potential for BRICS cooperation, although the grouping itself does not manage transport corridors.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route links Kazakhstan through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye with European markets. For connections with India, the International North-South Transport Corridor, Iranian ports such as Chabahar, and the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway offer potential links.
According to Kurmashev, a possible long-term route could connect India, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, with onward access through the Kazakh ports of Aktau and Kuryk to the Trans-Caspian route.
However, he noted that political declarations alone would not make such a route commercially viable. Stable cargo volumes would be needed to support regular container trains and shipping services, reduce empty runs and distribute fixed costs.
“At the BRICS Summit, Kazakhstan could propose preparing a pilot container shipment involving Indian, Iranian, Turkmen and Kazakh operators. Such a project could help identify actual transit times, tariffs and bottlenecks at each stage of the route,” he said.
At the same time, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye remain essential to the Trans-Caspian route, meaning key decisions on its operation would need to be coordinated outside the BRICS framework.
“Payments, insurance, sanctions risks around Iran and the number of transshipment points will remain important constraints. Therefore, BRICS can bring together interested parties, but the commercial viability of the route must ultimately be confirmed by carriers and shippers,” Kurmashev said.
