Kanat Sharlapaev Participates in Events During the President of Kazakhstan’s Official Visit to Germany

September 30, 2026

On September 28–30, 2026, Kanat Sharlapaev, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Atameken,” visited the Federal Republic of Germany and participated in business events in Berlin and Munich. The program included meetings with the heads of German economic associations, financial institutions and industrial companies, as well as participation in the German–Kazakh Business Forum and the Bavarian–Kazakh Technology Forum. The main events were held at a high level with the participation of the President of Kazakhstan.

Kanat Sharlapaev’s business program began on September 28 in Berlin with a meeting with representatives of DB E.C.O. Group / DB Engineering & Consulting. The German side was represented by Stefan Geisperger, Chief Operating Officer for International Business at DB Engineering & Consulting; Michael Napel, Executive Director and Director of the company’s branch in Kazakhstan; Gaidar Abdikerimov, Deputy Branch Director; and Tobias Meier, Senior Expert on the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) project. The meeting formed part of efforts to expand cooperation with international businesses in transport, logistics and infrastructure. These sectors hold an important place on the agenda of Kazakh–German economic partnership.

On September 29, Kanat Sharlapaev participated in the President of Kazakhstan’s meeting with the heads of German economic associations and financial institutions, which opened the Head of State’s official visit to Germany. The discussion focused on opportunities to combine German capital, expertise and risk management instruments with Kazakhstan’s resource and transport potential. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized Kazakhstan’s commitment to becoming Germany’s reliable partner in Central Asia and across Eurasia.

One of the key events of the visit was the German–Kazakh Business Forum, “Future-Oriented Comprehensive Partnership,” attended by the presidents of both countries. In his opening remarks, Kanat Sharlapaev stressed that the high level of political trust between Kazakhstan and Germany provides a foundation for deeper economic cooperation. He highlighted the need to move from trade in finished products toward joint manufacturing, technology transfer, local production of components and the creation of new skilled jobs. The Chairman of the Presidium of Atameken identified the advanced processing of critical raw materials, energy equipment manufacturing, modernization of industrial and municipal infrastructure, artificial intelligence and the digitalization of manufacturing, logistics, and workforce training as promising areas of cooperation.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev underscored Germany’s special role in Kazakhstan’s economic engagement with Europe and identified critical materials, energy, transport, agriculture, digitalization and advanced technologies as key priorities on the expanded bilateral agenda. The President announced Kazakhstan’s readiness to launch a Kazakh–German Investment and Industrial Initiative based on a unified portfolio of flagship projects. Its goal is to select commercially viable initiatives that can help establish new industries, introduce advanced German technologies and produce competitive goods for regional and global markets. According to the Head of State, the joint portfolio comprises 40 investment initiatives worth more than USD 54 billion, of which 21 projects have already been implemented. CLAAS, Horsch, Amazonen-Werke and Knauf were highlighted as successful examples of industrial cooperation. Over the past five years, CLAAS has manufactured more than 2,100 units of agricultural machinery in Kazakhstan.

As part of the Berlin program, Kanat Sharlapaev held a separate meeting with Peter Adrian, President of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), and Volker Treier, Head of Foreign Trade and Member of the DIHK Executive Board. The discussion focused on developing ongoing cooperation between the chambers and practical mechanisms to support German companies in the Kazakh market. The Kazakh side presented proposals to establish a joint working platform, “Atameken – DIHK Project Desk,” to facilitate direct cooperation between regional chambers, address business inquiries and help remove regulatory barriers. Other proposals included creating a unified portfolio of B2B projects and developing a joint program to support German medium-sized manufacturing companies—Mittelstand—in entering Kazakhstan.

On September 30, the head of the National Chamber met with the management of Siemens in Munich. The meeting was a separate item on Kanat Sharlapaev’s program of direct engagement with German industrial companies. Cooperation with Germany’s technology businesses is particularly important in the context of the priorities outlined during the visit: modernizing the energy sector, developing engineering expertise and introducing modern industrial solutions.

The main event of the Munich program was the Kazakh–Bavarian Technology Forum, attended by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Hubert Aiwanger, Deputy Minister-President and Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy of Bavaria. Participants also included Tobias Gotthardt, State Secretary at the relevant Bavarian ministry; Yersayin Nagaspayev, Minister of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan; Manfred Gößl, Chief Executive of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Munich and Upper Bavaria; and representatives of the business and technology communities.

In his address, Kanat Sharlapaev described the forum as a practical platform for launching joint investment and technology projects. He highlighted the potential to combine Bavaria’s industrial and scientific expertise with Kazakhstan’s growing technology ecosystem, encompassing automation, artificial intelligence, financial, agricultural and medical technologies. Proposed areas for further cooperation included establishing a direct B2B channel between Bavarian businesses and Kazakh technology companies, launching corporate accelerators and pilot projects, developing joint laboratories and educational programs, establishing research and manufacturing operations in Kazakhstan, and supporting Kazakh technology developers in entering the German and European Union markets.

The importance of the visit’s business agenda is reflected in the growth of bilateral economic ties. According to figures announced by the President of Kazakhstan, trade with Germany reached USD 4.5 billion in 2025 and exceeded USD 2.6 billion in the first seven months of 2026. More than 1,400 companies with German capital participation are registered in Kazakhstan, while cumulative investment inflows from Germany over the past 20 years have amounted to USD 8 billion.

Kanat Sharlapaev’s participation in the official visit’s events aimed to strengthen ties between the business communities of the two countries and develop mechanisms to translate the strategic priorities of Kazakh–German partnership into concrete industrial, investment and technology cooperation projects.