President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides arrived in Astana on Monday evening for an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Cyprus and Kazakhstan, with a particular focus on enhancing economic and investment cooperation.
The President is accompanied by a delegation representing more than 20 Cypriot companies, which are set to participate in a business forum where over 50 bilateral meetings have been scheduled.
In a post on X on his arrival, Christodoulides said, "Arrived in Astana on the inaugural, direct flight from Larnaca, for the first visit of a President of the Republic of Cyprus to Kazakhstan. A historic milestone that opens a new chapter in the Cyprus-Kazakhstan partnership, reflecting our shared commitment to strengthening cooperation, connectivity and the ties between our two countries."
Arrived in Astana on the inaugural, direct flight from Larnaca, for the first visit of a President of the Republic of Cyprus to Kazakhstan.
— NikosChristodoulides (@Christodulides) June 2, 2026
A historic milestone that opens a new chapter in the Cyprus-Kazakhstan partnership, reflecting our shared commitment to strengthening… pic.twitter.com/3iMMV6Winy
On Wednesday, President Christodoulides will hold talks with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. During the meeting, the two leaders are expected to sign a series of Memoranda of Understanding covering key sectors, including higher education, research, culture, sports, technology, cybersecurity, and e-government.
More specefically, at 11am local time, President Christodoulides, will be received by his counterpart, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at the Palace of Independence. The official welcoming ceremony will be followed by a tête-à-tête meeting between the two Presidents, followed by extended talks between the delegations of the two countries.
Following the extended talks, at around 12.15pm, the President of Kazakhstan will confer the President of the Republic of Cyprus the Order of Friendship state award. In the presence of the two Presidents, Memoranda of Understanding will be signed between the two countries in the fields of Higher Education and Research, Culture, Sports, Information and Communication Technologies, Cybersecurity and e-Government. An MoU will be signed also between the two Chambers of Cyprus and Kazakhstan.
The President of Kazakhstan and the President of Cyprus will the make statements to the media and subsequently President Christodoulides will attend an official lunch hosted in his honor by his counterpart.
In the afternoon, at around 5pm local time, the President of the Republic will visit the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) where the Business Forum will be held under the auspices of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the International Chamber of Commerce of Kazakhstan.
Shortly after 5.30pm local time, President Christodoulides and his delegation will visit the International Center for Artificial Intelligence (Alem.AI) where he will be welcomed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Zhaslan Madiyev.
At 6.30pm local time, President Christodoulides will inaugurate the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Astana. There will be short speeches by the Ambassador of Cyprus to Kazakhstan, Petros Nakouzis, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and Kazakhstan. An official reception will follow.
The Cyprus delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry Michael Damianos, Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou, and Deputy Government Spokesperson Yiannis Antoniou. The President of the Republic is aso accompanied by a trade/business delegation.
The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) will sign a separate Memorandum of Understanding with its Kazakh counterpart. President Christodoulides will also inaugurate the new offices of the Republic of Cyprus in Astana.
The business forum will feature addresses by both heads of state, as well as key stakeholders including CCCI President Stavros Stavrou, Chairman of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Kazakhstan Karimsakov Murat Ratovich, Chairman of Invest Cyprus Evgenios Evgeniou, and representatives of Kazakh Invest. The main presentation will be delivered by Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou.
“Our goal is to further strengthen economic and investment relations between Cyprus and Kazakhstan, create new channels of cooperation, and promote Cyprus as a reliable business and investment hub in the wider region,” said CCCI Secretary General Philokypros Roussounides.
Speaking to CBN and InBusinessNews, Roussounides noted that Kazakhstan is a rapidly growing economy with strong prospects, while Cyprus can serve as a natural gateway to the European Union for Central Asian businesses. He added that Cypriot companies stand to benefit from access to a large and strategically important market with increasing investment activity.
At the same time, the president of the Cyprus -Kazakhstan Business Association, Costas Markides, highlighted that on a business level, the visit highlights that Cyprus recognises Kazakhstan as the most dynamic and rapidly growing economy among the countries of Central Asia, while Kazakhstan sees Cyprus as a reliable European partner in the sectors of energy, technology, financial services, transport, health, tourism and education, and of course as a gateway to the single European market.
The Cypriot delegation travelled to Astana on the first direct flight connecting the two countries, operated by Air Astana. The route marks the beginning of a series of scheduled flights planned for the summer season, with the airline set to assess the potential for extending the service beyond this period.
