On October 16, 2025, on the sidelines of the Astana Think Tank Forum 2025, a meeting was held between the leadership of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Pakistan’s Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS). The key outcome of the meeting was the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between KazISS and CISS (Pakistan).
During the meeting, Director of KazISS under the President of Kazakhstan Zhandos Shaimardanov and Executive Director of the Center for International Strategic Studies Ali Sarwar Naqvi discussed a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda, emphasizing the importance of strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and Pakistan.
Zhandos Shaimardanov noted that Kazakhstan views Pakistan as one of its key partners in South Asia, given its strategic geographic location and significant economic potential.
“The development of trade, economic, and transport-logistics cooperation between Central and South Asia is one of the priorities of our bilateral partnership. The economies of our two countries are complementary: Kazakhstan attaches great importance to expanding transit and trade connections, while Pakistan is interested in importing energy resources, for which demand continues to grow,†emphasized Shaimardanov.
The parties also discussed the role of Afghanistan as a key transit hub connecting Central and South Asia, as well as the prospects for participation of both countries in joint infrastructure and economic projects in Afghanistan.
Special attention was paid to strengthening cooperation between the expert and analytical communities of Kazakhstan and Pakistan. According to both sides, active engagement among experts, exchange of opinions, and research experience will help develop new approaches to advancing the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Pakistan, as well as promote joint initiatives in the fields of economy, transport, and security.
