Kazakhstan, UK plan to develop cooperation in trade, critical minerals

Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom plan to develop cooperation in trade, critical minerals processing, industry, energy, and logistics, Report informs, citing the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan.

These issues were discussed by the head of the ministry Arman Shakkaliyev and the UK Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia Lord John Alderdice.

At the end of 2025, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the UK reached $1.63 billion, having increased by 83.7%. In January-July 2026, the volume of mutual trade amounted to $1.25 billion, which is 68.5% more than the figure for the same period last year.

The Kazakh side stated its interest in diversifying exports and increasing the supply of high value-added products to the British market. Currently, the basis of Kazakh exports to the UK consists of silver, oil, copper, and copper cathodes.

Shakkaliyev proposed organizing a visit to Kazakhstan for British importers and representatives of retail chains to establish direct ties with local producers. The parties also discussed the requirements of the British market for quality, certification, packaging, and standards of imported products.

Special attention was paid to the processing of critical minerals. Alderdice noted the prospects for cooperation of British companies and universities with Kazakhstan not only in the extraction of raw materials but also in their deep processing.

The meeting participants also considered the possibility of attracting British investments to the manufacturing industry, energy, logistics, and high-tech sectors.

Separately, they discussed standardization, preparation of Kazakh exporters for the requirements of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), as well as cooperation in the mining, scientific-educational, and nuclear spheres.