Indonesia-Kazakhstan Open Opportunities for Cooperation in Several Strategic Sectors

The Indonesian and Kazakhstani governments are opening opportunities to strengthen cooperation in several strategic sectors, ranging from energy, industry, agriculture, food processing, textiles, Islamic banking, digital economy, education, to tourism. The strengthening of cooperation was discussed in a bilateral meeting between Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov at the Government House in Astana on Monday. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2nd Indonesia-Kazakhstan Joint Commission Session and serves as a momentum to strengthen the strategic economic relations between the two countries. “Indonesia views Kazakhstan as a strategic partner in Central Asia and Eurasia. With Kazakhstan’s geographical position and regional connectivity, there are significant opportunities to strengthen trade, investment, and industrial partnerships between the two countries,” Airlangga said in his statement in Jakarta on Monday. In the energy sector, both countries emphasised the importance of cooperation in energy transitions and the development of renewable energy. Indonesia also reaffirmed its commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2060. In addition, both parties discussed opportunities for cooperation in geothermal development, industrial downstreaming, and the development of electric vehicle and battery ecosystems. The exploration of cooperation in the oil and gas sector was also part of the discussions. In the digital economy field, Indonesia conveyed its target to increase the national digital economy value from around 130 billion US dollars to 200 billion US dollars by 2030. Both countries view digital transformation as one of the new strategic areas to strengthen bilateral economic relations in the future. Meanwhile, in the investment sector, Indonesia and Kazakhstan emphasised the importance of strengthening investment mechanisms and business facilitation. The Astana International Financial Centre is seen as an important platform to support the strengthening of investment and regional economic connectivity. Both countries also paid special attention to strengthening logistics and transportation connectivity. In the meeting, opportunities were discussed to utilise Kazakhstan’s strategic position as a transit route, the development of international transportation corridors, and the strengthening of logistics routes and trade terminals towards the Central Asian and Eurasian regional markets. In addition, both parties discussed the importance of strengthening border economic cooperation to support the smooth flow of trade and market access expansion. Airlangga said Indonesia continues to actively promote increased trade with countries in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) region following the agreement on the Indonesia-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (Indonesia–EAEU FTA) on 21 December 2025. According to him, Kazakhstan, as one of the largest economies in Central Asia, is Indonesia’s main partner for expanding trade in the Eurasian region. As a country with a gross domestic product (GDP) of around 333.7 billion US dollars and economic growth of 6.5 percent in 2025, Kazakhstan is seen as Indonesia’s strategic partner in strengthening trade, investment, logistics connectivity, energy, strategic minerals, and digital transformation. Airlangga also conveyed that Indonesia views Kazakhstan as a strategic gateway to the Eurasian region and an important partner in supporting trade diversification and strengthening regional supply chains. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bektenov reaffirmed the Kazakhstani government’s commitment to continue expanding trade and investment relations with Indonesia. “Kazakhstan places great emphasis on expanding trade and economic relations with Indonesia. We believe there is significant potential to increase these achievements, and we are very interested in expanding investment cooperation,” Bektenov said.