Speech by Ambassador Y. K. Sailas Thangal at

Silk Exhibition-Cum-Buyer Seller Meet 

(Astana, 17 September 2026)

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure and honour to welcome you all to this special exhibition of Indian Silk in Astana.

India and Kazakhstan enjoy a warm and growing partnership, founded on mutual respect, cultural affinity and expanding economic engagement. Today’s exhibition is another opportunity to bring our two countries closer—this time through the timeless art, craftsmanship and enterprise of Indian silk.

Indian silk is not merely a textile; it is a living expression of India’s heritage, creativity and craftsmanship. For centuries, Indian artisans have transformed silk into exquisite fabrics, sarees, shawls, scarves and garments. Today, this tradition is complemented by modern designs, innovation and globally competitive production.

Kazakhstan presents an interesting and promising opportunity for Indian silk exporters. While silk currently represents a niche segment of Kazakhstan’s much larger textile and apparel market, there is considerable scope to develop demand for premium and value-added silk products.

The opportunity goes well beyond silk fabric. Kazakhstan’s growing fashion, luxury retail, hospitality and interior-design sectors can offer new avenues for Indian silk in premium apparel, scarves and stoles, traditional and contemporary fashion, accessories and home furnishings.

The relatively modest presence of Indian silk in the Kazakh market also means that there is significant room to expand and diversify our trade. I would therefore encourage Indian silk companies to look beyond traditional exports and develop Kazakhstan-specific collections, build partnerships with local importers and designers, and explore the wider Central Asian market.

This exhibition therefore comes at an important time and provides an excellent platform for exactly that. It will allow Kazakh buyers to experience the quality, diversity and uniqueness of Indian silk, while enabling Indian exporters to understand the local market and establish lasting business partnerships.

I am confident that this initiative will encourage greater B2B engagement, new distribution channels and sustained trade partnerships between Indian exporters and Kazakh importers, designers, retailers and manufacturers.

I commend the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council for organising this important initiative and thank our Kazakh partners for their support and warm hospitality.

I am confident that Today’s exhibition will open new doors for Indian silk, create new business partnerships, and further strengthen the economic and cultural bonds between India and Kazakhstan.

I wish the exhibition every success.Thank you.

Dhanyavaad. Namaste.

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