Kazakhstan and the U.S. are discussing new areas of cooperation. Possible options include opening a permanent representative office of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in the country. These and many other issues were discussed by DFC CEO Ben Black during his meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
As the Kazakh leader noted, since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, U.S. engagement with Central Asian countries has noticeably intensified. Tokayev also confirmed that Kazakhstan continues to participate in several American initiatives, including the Abraham Accords, the Board of Peace, and the TRIPP project.
During the talks, the president also outlined the large-scale reforms currently underway in Kazakhstan.
«Your visit is taking place during a period of profound political and economic transformation in Kazakhstan. These reforms are aimed at transitioning our country from a resource-dependent model to a diversified, knowledge-based economy. Your corporation’s investment priorities closely align with Kazakhstan’s development agenda, and we are ready for practical and mutually beneficial cooperation,» Tokayev said.
One of the key topics of the meeting was promising areas for joint projects between Kazakhstan and the U.S., including critical minerals, transport infrastructure, the agro-industrial sector, digitalization and AI. These sectors are currently considered among the main drivers of economic growth and the attraction of foreign investment.
The two sides also discussed the potential expansion of the American presence in Kazakhstan by opening a permanent DFC representative office in the country.
The DFC is a U.S. government-owned financial corporation that supports and finances projects abroad. The organization typically invests in large infrastructure projects, the energy sector, industry, logistics and the extraction of strategically important resources. During the visit, Ben Black also met with several Kazakhstani business representatives in Almaty.
