The European Investment Bank (EIB) said its vice-president, Marek Mora, visited Astana on 7 and 8 October to discuss investment cooperation with Kazakhstan in areas including transport, energy, water, digital connectivity and sustainable industry.
Mora met Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Assel Zhanassova and Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev, alongside representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the EIB informed on Monday.
The bank said talks also involved vice-ministers responsible for energy, water resources and the national economy, as well as Kazakhstan’s national road operator QazAvtoZhol and national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy.
The EIB disclosed that discussions focused on moving priority investments towards financing and strengthening Kazakhstan’s role in regional connections between Central Asia and Europe.
Road upgrades and a broader regional push
The visit came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s 2026 State of the Union address, which announced a new international connectivity initiative for the Middle Corridor, the EIB said.
The Middle Corridor refers to transport routes linking Europe and Asia via the Caspian Sea and Central Asia, avoiding Russia.
Through the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, up to €12 billion in public and private investment is expected to be mobilised for the Middle Corridor, with targets to triple trade flows and significantly reduce freight transit times by 2030.
In Kazakhstan, the EIB said it signed a €150 million framework loan in June with QazAvtoZhol to rehabilitate roads along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor.
The programme covers around 1,370 kilometres of roads across central and southern Kazakhstan, including sections connecting the country with its Central Asian neighbours.
The bank said the roads financing followed a €200 million EIB Global framework loan agreed with the Development Bank of Kazakhstan to support sustainable transport and renewable energy investments.
On digital connectivity, EIB Global and the European Commission are providing almost €60 million with satellite operator SES to extend satellite broadband to about 1,600 rural villages across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The project is expected to connect around three million people.
The EIB also said it discussed potential cooperation in the water sector with Vice-Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Arsen Zhakanbayev, and noted it is involved in regional initiatives such as the Kambarata-1 hydropower project, subject to project development, due diligence and agreements among participating countries.
