Kazakhstan and the Netherlands have agreed to move forward with joint projects worth €160m ($184.6m), including a Damen Shipyards Group memorandum of understanding for a shipbuilding and ship repair cluster, after a June 9 business forum in Amsterdam, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration.
The forum was held during GreenTech Amsterdam 2026 as the central event of Kazakhstan’s trade and economic mission to the Netherlands, led by Kazakh Trade and Integration Minister Arman Shakkaliyev.
“The agreements reached today reflect the strong interest of businesses in both countries in expanding cooperation. Kazakhstan is ready to increase supplies of high-quality products to European markets and provide favorable conditions for investment projects involving Dutch partners,” Shakkaliyev said.
Kazakh companies from the agri-food, food and logistics sectors presented export capacity and held B2B meetings with Dutch partners. The delegation also met Dutch government and industry organisations to discuss the Netherlands’ inspection and certification system, based on cooperation between public authorities and accredited industry bodies.
Transport and logistics formed a core part of the visit. At the Port of Rotterdam, Kazakh and Dutch officials discussed expanding international freight transport, integrating Kazakh products into European supply chains and using Europe’s largest seaport as a gateway for Kazakh exports.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route was also discussed as a trade route linking Asia and Europe.
The Damen MoU covers a project to establish a shipbuilding and ship repair cluster in Kazakhstan’s western Mangystau Region, with an emphasis on technology transfer, production localisation and workforce development.
Separate meetings with Axia Seeds and DENSO AgriTech Solutions focused on advanced agricultural technologies, seed production and potential investment projects in greenhouse farming.
Bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and the Netherlands reached $970m in January-February, up 57.9% year on year. Kazakhstan’s exports totalled $930.4m, a 65% increase.
Damen Shipyards Group is a Netherlands-based shipbuilding group engaged in vessel design, construction, repair and lifecycle services for commercial, offshore, public-sector and defence customers.