Relationship dossier
Germany
Kazakhstan
Relationship assessment
A sustained economic and political partnership, with sanctions-related concerns over trade with Russia.
Germany toward Kazakhstan
+40Germany has pursued economic, energy and raw-materials cooperation with Kazakhstan, including through the bilateral strategic partnership and the 2012 raw materials partnership. German engagement has also included efforts to use Kazakh oil supplies. German and EU concerns about possible sanctions evasion through Kazakhstan create friction.
Kazakhstan toward Germany
+40Kazakhstan has engaged Germany through the strategic partnership and raw-materials cooperation, and has supplied oil used by German refineries. Kazakhstan has also worked with German businesses and pursued closer economic ties. German concerns about goods passing through Kazakhstan to Russia remain a point of contention.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship rests on sustained political and economic cooperation, notably the strategic partnership, raw-materials collaboration and energy links. Trade and investment interests reinforce engagement, while concerns about sanctions evasion through Kazakhstan are a recurring source of friction. These features support a substantially cooperative but not untroubled relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Germany and Kazakhstan have developed a sustained partnership spanning trade, energy, raw materials and political dialogue. A strategic partnership and cooperation on raw materials provide a framework for ties, while Germany has pursued energy and economic links with Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has engaged with German initiatives and businesses, including as Germany sought alternatives for oil supplies. A recurring concern is the risk that goods routed through Kazakhstan could help Russia evade German and EU sanctions.
Areas of tension
- German and EU concerns that goods routed through Kazakhstan could help Russia evade sanctions.
Key developments
Germany and Kazakhstan established a strategic partnership.
The countries concluded a partnership on raw materials, industry and technology.
Kazakh oil began reaching German refineries through the Druzhba pipeline, creating an additional energy link.
Germany hosted a meeting with leaders of Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan, to deepen political and economic cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation on raw materials and energy are unclear.
- The extent of Kazakhstan's controls on goods that could be re-exported to Russia is uncertain.