Speech by Ambassador at Ind-Kaz Business Forum

(Chennai, 8th September 2026)

Title:  A New Era of India-Kazakhstan Partnership, Bridging Markets & Building Wealth

Distinguished Ministers, Honorable Akims, Excellencies, Visionary Business Leaders, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. AlSalam Alaykum , Salametsiz be & Vanakkam.

It is an honour to stand before you today in Chennai— a powerhouse of industry and a gateway to India’s booming economy. Today, we welcome a historic Trade delegation from Kazakhstan. Over 100 Kazakh captains of Industry and dignitaries led by Minister of Trade and two provincials Akims, (Governors) have travelled thousands of miles to be here in Chennai, demonstrating serious interest to engage with India on a win-win cooperation. The presence so many business leaders’ senior officials and policy makers from both countries proves one clear fact, that Kazakhstan and India now intent to rewrite their trade and investment engagements.

Politically speaking, India and Kazakhstan share a bond that is rare in modern diplomacy. Our relations are cordial, deep, and entirely problem-free and we are strategic partners. We trust each other. We support each other. Yet, when it comes to trade and investment relations, as business leaders and policy makers we need to look at our bilateral trade figures seriously. Our bilateral trade for the year 2024 stood at only US$ 974.9 million — India’s exports to Kazakhstan were US$510.7 million and imports were US$464.2 million. Let us be honest to ourselves, that this figure is way below the true potential and opportunities of our two economies. It does not reflect the scale of India’s 1.4 billion consumers, nor does it reflect Kazakhstan’s position as the economic engine of Central Asia. This is indeed a serious anomaly which needs to be corrected immediately.

Therefore, I hope you will all agreed that we are here today in Chennai for a compelling purpose, i,e to shatter the status quo and correct this serious and long-standing anomaly, to transform the goodwill and opportunities before us into tangible business outcomes, unlocking billions of dollars in trade, investment, technology, and industrial partnerships.

The greatest advantage for successful cooperation for our two countries lies in the natural complementarity of our economies. We are not competitors; rather, our economies complement one another in ways that create enormous opportunities for mutual growth. For example.

• Energy: Kazakhstan possesses the vast natural resources, oil, gas, and minerals that fuel modern manufacturing. India possesses the massive markets and has insatiable demand for energy and mineral resources.

• Technology & Innovation: India is a global powerhouse in IT, digital infrastructure and pharmaceuticals. Kazakhstan is rapidly modernizing, seeking to digitalize its economy and build smart cities.

• Agriculture and Food Security: Kazakhstan boasts massive, fertile agricultural arable lands. India has advanced food processing capabilities and a massive consumer base. By combining these two, we can secure food supply chains across the region and enhance food security.

• Manufacturing: Right here in Tamil Nadu, you see world-class automotive, textile, and electronic manufacturing. I agree that we have connectivity issue but both governments are working hard trying their best to reduce the time of transportation through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Chabahar port. We need to work more aggressively to cut the logistic bottlenecks to bring Chennai closer to Almaty and Astana ever before.

To the Kazakh delegation, I say: India is not just a market; it is an innovation partner. To the Indian entrepreneurs here, I say: Kazakhstan is not just a resource provider; it is stable, business-friendly gateway to the entire Eurasian continent.

The presence of a Minister and two Akims from Kazakhstan prove beyond doubt that the Kazakh government is ready to cut the red tape and roll out the red carpet for Indian investments all across the sectors. In other words, both Kazakhstan and Indian governments have the political will and commercial desire to take our trade and investment to unprecedented level. The captains of industry on both sides are equally ready to take our trade and investment partnership to the highest possible level—so, what are we waiting for? Let us seize this opportunity, turn intent into action, and establish partnership that delivers transformational growth towards shared prosperity for both our nations.

I very happy to learn that many MoUs and agreements are being signed here in Chennai by two sides. Let these MoUs and Agreements done in Chennai be the spark that ignites a new era of India–Kazakhstan economic cooperation—turning the MoUs and agreements into concrete investments, joint ventures, stronger trade and logistics links. Most of all bridge our markets, leverage ourcomplementariness.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The time for cautious exploration and discussion is over. We must now move from discussion on potential & opportunities to forming partnership and joint ventures.

My final recommendation in the form of request is that let us not depart Chennai with only memories and photographs but with partnership, investments committed and contracts signed along with clear dateline for next meeting to work out the details. And let these partnerships in Chennai become the foundation of a new era in India–Kazakhstan relations.

My dear friend, let us remember that our future will not be built by those who simply identify opportunities. It will be built by those who act on them. So let us act.

Thank You Khop Rahmet.

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