In Astana, President Karis will meet with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as well as Yerlan Koshanov, the chairman of the Mazhilis, the lower house of the Kazakh parliament.
The visit is designed to highlight the meaningful bilateral relations between Estonia and Kazakhstan and to underscore the latter’s role as an important partner to the European Union. With the visit, Estonia seeks to confirm its interest and presence in a region of growing significance to international cooperation and security and to the EU. The head of state will focus on bolstering economic relations, strengthening ties in education and research to support university cooperation and knowledge exchange, and addressing issues related to AI and sustainable development.
Partnerships in the spheres of education and research are a central theme of the state visit. President Karis will give a lecture and meet with students at Nazarbayev University before opening a forum for the rectors of Estonian and Kazakh universities to discuss opportunities for closer cooperation in the field of research. He and his Kazakh counterpart will then jointly open a round table on the use of AI in education.
The two heads of state will deliver speeches at an Estonia–Kazakhstan business forum, while President Karis will also visit the Astana Hub and International Financial Centre, where Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev will showcase the country’s technological trends and future plans.
A cultural programme taking place as part of the state visit will introduce various aspects of Estonian literature, museum art and music culture to the Kazakh people. President Karis will open an exhibition dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Estonian books at the National Academic Library of Kazakhstan. Later, at the country’s National Museum, he will unveil an Estonian literature corner and a glove-themed travelling exhibition of the Estonian National Museum. The visit will also include a concert at the Astana Opera House with performances by the VHK String Orchestra and violinist Hans Christian Aavik.
Sirje Karis will meet with students and lecturers at the Kazakh National University of Arts, where she will learn about the institution’s educational and cultural activities. She will also visit Secondary School No. 103 in Astana, where she will be briefed on UNICEF’s work in Kazakhstan.
President Karis is accompanied on the visit by Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Liina Kersna, Chairman of the Estonian-Kazakh Friendship Group Vadim Belobrovtsev, Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta and Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis.
Others accompanying the head of state on the visit include a 14-member education delegation comprising the rectors and other representatives of Estonia’s biggest colleges and universities: TalTech, the University of Tartu, Tallinn University, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, the Estonian Business School and the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences. Among them are key figures from both academic management and the international cooperation side of the institutions.
Furthermore, the business delegation accompanying President Karis includes a wide range of Estonian companies, from industry and logistics to health innovation, education technology and finance: DreamJob, the Silmet Group, Silsteve, the Port of Sillamäe, Skinest Rail and Skinest Kazakhstan, Cybexer Technologies, Eesti Viljasalv, Omniva, Eesti Raudtee, SLD Consult, Olerex, Bolt, DreamApply, Admiral Markets, DEEEBOX, Operail, MGT Muuga Grain Terminal, the e-Governance Academy, Better Medicine, R8 Technologies, Ecomatic, Tallinna Masinatehas, the Mootor Group with Turnit OÜ and Lux Express, BT4 Invest, the Primostar Group, PepperTix, PharmaPark Production, Kevelt, Ober Haus Real Estate Advisors, Diamond Sky, the Port of Tallinn and Tallinna Elektrotehnika Tehas Estel, plus representatives of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Baltic–Central Asian Chamber of Commerce.
President Karis and Sirje Karis will return to Estonia on Wednesday evening.
