The First Expanded Meeting of the Kazakhstan–Serbia Business Council and Business Forum Held in Astana

On February 26, 2026, the First Expanded Meeting of the Kazakhstan–Serbia Business Council and the Kazakhstan–Serbia Business Forum were held in the capital. The event was organized by the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, with the support of the Embassies of the two countries. The meeting took place within the framework of the official visit of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, to Kazakhstan and marked an important milestone in the development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliyev; the Minister for the Development of International Economic Cooperation of the Republic of Serbia, Nenad Popović; the Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan, Murat Karimsakov; the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the NCE RK “Atameken,” Nursultan Shokanov; the Vice President for International Cooperation and Development of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Mihailo Vesović; the Chairman of the Serbian part of the Business Council, Aleksandar Lijaković; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Serbia, Madi Atamkulov; and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Vladimir Jovičić.

In his remarks, Nursultan Shokanov emphasized the historic significance of the event, noting that the Business Council was being convened for the first time within the framework of the visit of President Aleksandar Vučić. He also highlighted the steady positive dynamics of bilateral trade. According to the results for January-November 2025, mutual trade amounted to USD 96.8 million, reflecting a 7.9% increase. Kazakhstan’s exports grew by 82%, reaching USD 28.3 million.

Nenad Popović noted in his speech that strong political relations between Kazakhstan and Serbia provide a solid foundation for the development of economic cooperation. He underscored the importance of the free trade agreement and the need to implement concrete joint projects, particularly in agriculture, energy, IT, and pharmaceuticals. In turn, Mihailo Vesović reaffirmed the readiness of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia to support the work of the Business Council and to further develop business ties.

According to Murat Karimsakov, Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan, more than 40 companies with Serbian capital are currently operating successfully in the Kazakh market. These include Yugoimport, Energoprojekt-Holding, IBA Group, Chemopharm, Tarkett, Termovent, Delta Holding, Agromehanika, and others. In the agricultural sector, a successful joint project is being implemented by Budan LLP and the Serbian research institute “Zemun Polje” for the production of hybrid corn seeds. The scale of the event was also highlighted: approximately 80 companies (130 participants) represented the Kazakh side, including Kusto Logistics, Atameken Agro Trade, AK NIET GROUP, Biosfera, PharmMedIndustria, KD Solutions, ITP Mining, BI Group, Eurostroy LLP, RailSolution, Great Sky, SP Kaztechnology, KazTransOil, PetroTrans Limited, and others. The Serbian side was represented by 24 companies (33 participants), including Yugoimport SDPR, Pro Team, PPT Inženjering, ALUMIL YU Industry, Energoprojekt Holding, Neopetrol Inženjering, Goša Montaža, Goodwill Pharm, SEE UP, BIO4, and others.

Special emphasis was placed on digitalization and technological partnership. It was noted that the current year has been declared by the President of Kazakhstan as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, which opens additional opportunities for cooperation. Within the framework of the event, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between Astana Hub and the SEE UP accelerator, aimed at supporting entrepreneurs at the early stages of business idea development and facilitating their market entry.

In the fields of transport, logistics, and construction, Murat Karimsakov emphasized Kazakhstan’s transit potential as a Eurasian hub, as well as Serbia’s strategic position as a logistics center of the Balkans and a gateway to Europe. The parties expressed their readiness to jointly implement infrastructure and logistics projects along the Middle Corridor. The successful experience of Energoprojekt-Holding was noted, including the reconstruction of the “Almaty-Gulshad” road section and the construction of the “Aelita” residential complex in Almaty.

In addition, the capabilities of the NCE RK “Atameken” and the National Digital Investment Platform were presented at the event. The platform currently registers more than 1,600 projects with a total value of USD 120 billion. Regarding the activities of the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan, its readiness was confirmed to provide comprehensive support to Serbian companies in finding partners, facilitating investment projects, developing exports, and protecting business interests.

The First Meeting of the Kazakhstan–Serbia Business Council became a practical step toward further expanding trade, economic, and investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and Serbia.