Georgia, Kazakhstan Elevate Ties to Strategic Partnership as Kobakhidze Continues Central Asian Tour
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and a senior cabinet delegation arrived in Kazakhstan on June 29 for talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, capping a third official Central Asian trip in under a month.
The visit follows top-level Georgian delegations to Kyrgyzstan on June 11-12 and Tajikistan on June 19-20, both described as first-ever visits at that level.
At Astana's airport, the delegation was received by Kazakhstan's Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev. Kobakhidze was accompanied by Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, Agriculture Minister Davit Songhulashvili and Government Administration Head Levan Zhorzholiani.
The two leaders held an initial one-on-one meeting before expanded talks involving members of both governments, with discussions centering on trade, transport and logistics, tourism and high-level political relations. Both sides pointed to the Middle Corridor as a growing priority, stressing what they called the "importance of connectivity" between their countries.
The visit saw Prime Minister Kobakhidze and President Tokayev sign a Strategic Partnership Agreement, alongside separate memorandums between relevant agencies covering culture, information technology, and tourism, according to the Georgian government administration.
Kobakhidze called the agreement a "significant milestone" in bilateral relations, praised Tokayev's leadership and invited him to visit Georgia. He also thanked Tokayev for supporting Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and noted the role of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in advancing ties between the two countries.
Tokayev, for his part, called Georgia a "trusted" and "utterly reliable" partner, framing the elevation of relations as "a historic decision that serves the fundamental interests of our peoples and creates a strong foundation for further expanding cooperation between our two countries." He also praised what he described as Georgia's "impressive results" in democratic institutions, economic growth, and its international role.
