King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are making the first-ever Belgian state visit to Central Asia, travelling to Kazakhstan from Sunday to Wednesday to strengthen economic, academic and cultural ties.
The royal couple will visit the capital, Astana, where they are due to meet President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as well as Almaty, the country’s largest city in the south-east.
They will be accompanied by Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke, Flemish Minister for Brussels and Media Cieltje Van Achter, Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès, and Walloon Agriculture Minister Anne-Catherine Dalcq.
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The 110-strong delegation also includes around 25 chief executives and 11 representatives from the academic world, among them seven university rectors.
King Philippe has visited Kazakhstan three times before, when he was Crown Prince.
In 2002 and 2009, he travelled to Baikonur for the launches of Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne’s two missions to the International Space Station. In 2010, he led an economic mission to the country.
During the visit, the fourth edition of the Kazakh-Belgian Business Council will be held, with discussions focusing on areas including logistics and agriculture.
Talks are also expected on the Trans-Caspian corridor, a key trade and transport route between Europe and Asia that bypasses Russia.
The route has grown in importance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kazakhstan is formally a presidential republic, but the former Soviet state has been governed in a broadly authoritarian manner since its independence in 1991.
According to independent observers, President Tokayev consolidated further power under a new constitution approved earlier this year.
