ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu participated in the 17th Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum on Nov. 4 in Seoul, focusing on transport and logistics, energy, digital transformation, and environmental issues.
17th Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum. Photo credit: gov.kz
In a press statement released by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Nurtleu highlighted Kazakhstan’s development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, set to reach a capacity of 10 million tons per year by 2025. He encouraged Korean investment in projects to expand this significant Asia-Europe transport link.
In energy, he invited Korean companies to join projects for resource extraction and processing and participate in a consortium to construct nuclear power plants, creating new prospects for regional energy security. Kazakhstan has abundant natural resources, including rare earth metals and uranium, supplying 40% of the global market.
He stressed the need for deeper collaboration on climate change and sustainable development, particularly in water infrastructure modernization and renewable energy development. Nurtleu expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to cooperate with South Korea on Aral Sea preservation, focusing on water sector automation and digitization.
In digital transformation, Kazakhstan, ranking among the top 10 countries on the UN Online Service Index, invited Korean firms to partner on projects in artificial intelligence, Big Data, and scientific development. Nurtleu encouraged Korean investment in Kazakhstan’s tourism infrastructure to support the growing mutual tourist flow between the two countries.
The forum concluded with a Joint Statement and approval of the Forum Secretariat’s Work Plan for 2025. Nurtleu expressed confidence that the strengthened ties would lead to significant commercial agreements at next year’s Central Asia – Republic of Korea Summit.
