Kazakhstan and UAE Sign $5 Billion+ Deals During Crown Prince’s Visit

Kazakhstan, UAE Strengthen Strategic Ties with Over $5 Billion in Agreements

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deepened their strategic partnership with the signing of more than 20 commercial agreements worth over $5 billion during the official visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Astana on May 12, according to Akorda.

Highlighting the UAE as one of Kazakhstan’s closest and most dependable economic allies, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev celebrated the agreements as a turning point in bilateral relations. He pointed out that UAE investments in Kazakhstan had more than doubled in 2024 and reminded that a Joint Declaration on Strategic Investment Projects was inked in 2023.

This view was shared by Crown Prince Al Nahyan, who emphasized that the two countries’ collaboration now covers areas including energy, digital infrastructure, education, and transportation in addition to commerce and banking.

Key agreements include a partnership between Samruk Kazyna and UAE’s Masdar to develop projects providing up to 500 MW of uninterrupted power and 2,000 MW of energy storage capacity. Additionally, Samruk Kazyna collaborated with AIQ, an AI pioneer based in Abu Dhabi, to digitize Kazakhstan’s oil and gas industry. In order to improve financial relations, a memorandum of understanding was also inked with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

In order to promote digital progress, Kazakhstan and Presight decided to build a supercomputer cluster in Kazakhstan. QazaqGaz and AIQ reached a strategic agreement to improve digital solutions in the gas sector, while KazMunayGas and Abu Dhabi Ports Group inked an agreement to expand Kazakhstan’s merchant fleet.

Additional agreements cover bilateral cooperation in automobile transportation, judicial collaboration through a memorandum between the Justice Ministries, funding and construction of a maternity hospital in Turkistan, investment in the development of Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport and its surrounding infrastructure, and a government-backed agreement to build a wind power plant, showcasing a shared commitment to renewable energy.

These agreements represent a significant leap in Kazakhstan–UAE relations, transitioning from traditional trade ties to a broad-based, future-focused partnership.