Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov took part in the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), held in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan.

The agenda of both the restricted and expanded sessions included issues related to the development of trade and economic cooperation, collaboration in the heavy and light industries, and aviation—particularly the coordination of air traffic among CIS member states.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov; Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Turchin; Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev; Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin; Prime Minister of Tajikistan and Chair of the CIS Council of Heads of Government Kohir Rasulzoda; Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov; Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Grigoryan; Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Khojamurad Geldymuradov; and CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev.

As part of the Council’s proceedings, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held a collective meeting with the heads of the CIS delegations.

During the Council session, Prime Minister Bektenov reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to the further development of the CIS and its intention to contribute to strengthening the organization’s capacity.

“Thanks to established cooperation mechanisms, the political will of our leaders, and the efforts of our governments, the CIS region has ensured sustainable development and consistent economic growth. A testament to this is the 4.5% increase in the combined GDP of CIS countries last year. Mutual trade is also steadily growing—Kazakhstan's trade turnover with CIS countries rose by 1.2% last year, reaching $37.3 billion. These figures reflect not only the resilience of our economic ties but also the high level of complementarity among our economies,”

Bektenov stated. To further strengthen cooperation, the Kazakh Prime Minister presented several initiatives in promising sectors of the economy.

Particular attention was given to cooperation in the field of e-commerce. In Kazakhstan, the e-commerce market reached $6.2 billion last year. A comprehensive approach—focused on infrastructure development, business support, consumer rights protection, and other measures—was emphasized as essential to fully realize the potential of e-commerce across the CIS. This, in turn, will enhance economic cooperation with international partners and create new opportunities for businesses.

In the area of transit and transport infrastructure, Kazakhstan highlighted key national projects, including the comprehensive roadmap for the development of the eastern route of the North–South Corridor, aimed at doubling its capacity by 2027; the expansion of the Trans-Kazakhstan railway corridor, a key component of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR); and the construction of the “Center–West” highway connecting Astana with the western regions and international routes. These projects are integral to the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan to develop a concept for integrating transport networks across the CIS.

Heavy engineering was identified as a strategic sector crucial to national competitiveness. Prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and CIS partners in this domain were discussed. In light industry, deepening cooperation and supporting joint production projects and industrial clusters were deemed priorities.

The participants also emphasized the importance of enhanced cooperation in the exchange of digital innovations. Kazakhstan’s upcoming international artificial intelligence center, Alem AI, is expected to accelerate AI integration across key sectors such as healthcare, education, public administration, and industry. Strengthening cooperation among authorized national bodies in cybersecurity and combating transnational fraud was also noted as an important task.

Reports were delivered during the session by CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev, Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan Sherali Kabir, Chairman of the Interstate Aviation Committee Oleg Storchevoy, and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Development Bank Nikolay Podguzov.

Following the meeting, a number of documents were signed, including:

• Agreement on cooperation among CIS states in the development of the heavy engineering sector;

• Concept for developing cooperation in light industry;

• Concept for harmonizing national air traffic management systems across the CIS;

• Concept for cooperation in public health protection, among others.

The next meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government is scheduled to take place in September 2025 in Minsk.