Bern, 22 October. Kazakhstan's National Nuclear Centre and Switzerland's National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (NAGRA) signed a cooperation roadmap at the 12th meeting of the two countries' intergovernmental commission in Bern, the Ministry of Trade and Integration said.
Switzerland also proposed signing a memorandum on cooperation in critical raw materials.
The Kazakh side of the commission was led by Trade and Integration Minister Arman Shakkaliyev, the Swiss side by Ambassador A. Rauber Saxer, head of bilateral economic relations at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Kazakhstan wants to expand exports of farm products, including honey and products of animal origin: the Trade Ministry and QazTrade will select exporters and prepare targeted offers tailored to the requirements of Swiss importers and retail chains. Swiss companies were invited to special economic zones and Alatau City, and to projects in farm produce processing, water management, renewable energy, logistics, digital technology and artificial intelligence. Veterinary access for products, science and education, intellectual property, cybersecurity and legal assistance in criminal matters were also discussed.
The commission concluded Shakkaliyev's three-day visit. After a business forum in Zurich attended by representatives of about 90 Swiss companies, memoranda worth about $46m were signed on trade, commercial property and industrial cooperation. The Swiss export credit agency SERV and the Team Switzerland Infrastructure platform discussed companies' participation in modernising Kazakhstan's energy and utility infrastructure: smart grids, heating, digital metering, water treatment and wastewater treatment. On 21 October a Swiss-Kazakh cultural and business centre opened in Schaffhausen; it was initiated by Eurasia Group, which sells agricultural machinery in Kazakhstan and since 2025 has organised local production of John Deere machinery there.
Having agreed on honey, the two sides agreed on radioactive waste the same day.
What it means: Trade relations with Switzerland are growing, and new areas have been added: cooperation on handling radioactive waste and, at the Swiss side's proposal, critical raw materials.
Who benefits: The National Nuclear Centre gains access to the experience of a Swiss cooperative that deals with disposal of radioactive waste. Kazakh exporters of honey and farm products get targeted access to Swiss chains; Swiss companies get infrastructure projects backed by export risk insurance. The ministry did not disclose the contents of the roadmap.
Background: The commission's next, 13th meeting will be held in Kazakhstan; its date and venue will be agreed through diplomatic channels.
List of sources used: Trade Ministry of Kazakhstan
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
