Separated by thousands of kilometers and by very different historical traditions, Madrid and Astana have built a relationship over more than three decades based on a strategic resource: oil. However, behind the energy contracts, investments, and trade exchanges, there is also a story of personal trust among diplomats, businessmen, and institutions that have been able to identify common interests where few saw them. Today, when energy security once again occupies a central place on the international agenda, Kazakhstan has become much more than a hydrocarbon supplier for Spain: it is an increasingly relevant partner in the heart of Eurasia.
When Kazakhstan proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union in December 1991, few imagined that this vast territory in Central Asia would end up consolidating as one of the main energy powers in Eurasia. Three decades later, the country has established itself as a regional power thanks to its abundant natural resources and a foreign policy designed to maintain a delicate balance between Europe, Russia, China, and the United States.
Spain was one of the countries that established diplomatic relations with the new republic in 1992. Since then, hydrocarbons have constituted the economic axis of a bilateral relationship that has grown steadily. According to the Country Report prepared by ICEX and the Secretary of State for Trade, Kazakhstan has significant reserves of oil and natural gas, a factor that has conditioned much of its economic development and international positioning.
A strategic partner in the heart of Eurasia
With an area of 2.7 million km2, equivalent to five times that of Spain, and a privileged geographical position between Europe and Asia, Kazakhstan has developed a multivector foreign policy aimed at maintaining balanced relations with the great powers and the European Union.
Under the presidency of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Astana has promoted institutional and economic reforms aimed at diversifying its productive model and strengthening its international projection. The result is an economy that continues to rely on its abundant natural resources but seeks to establish itself as a logistical and technological platform for Central Asia.
Oil, the axis of a lasting relationship
If there is one element that explains the intensity of the Spanish-Kazakh ties, it is oil. Upon declaring its independence, Kazakhstan inherited one of the largest energy riches on the planet. Its gigantic deposits of Tengiz, Karachaganak, and Kashagan established the country as one of the main oil producers in Eurasia. Since then, hydrocarbons have supported much of its economic growth and international projection.
For Spain, traditionally dependent on energy imports, Kazakhstan soon became a relevant partner to diversify supplies and strengthen energy security.
For years, the presence of Spanish companies in projects associated with the exploration and production of hydrocarbons has contributed to tightening economic ties between both countries.
According to data from ICEX, mineral fuels continue to represent the vast majority of Kazakh exports to Spain, shaping a commercial relationship clearly marked by energy. The relevance of Kazakhstan has also increased in an international context where Europe seeks to diversify suppliers and strengthen the security of its energy supplies.
Beyond hydrocarbons
Although the Spanish presence in Kazakhstan has been closely linked to this energy reality, business interest has gone much further. Alongside the energy sector, Spanish companies such as Talgo, Técnicas Reunidas, Indra, Maxam, Airbus, Mango, Gallina Blanca, Campofrío, Pascual, Imabe, or Equip Tècnic Santandreu have developed projects and investments in areas such as transport, industry, technology, food, defense, and services.
The XI Hispano-Kazakh Intergovernmental Mixed Commission, held in Madrid in March 2025, confirmed the willingness to expand cooperation in areas such as renewable energies, infrastructure, agriculture, and technology.
For its part, Chamber of Spain has also emphasized the existing potential to strengthen trade, investment, and joint projects.
Trust as a strategic asset
Since 1992, Spain and Kazakhstan have maintained a constant dialogue backed by an increasingly solid institutional architecture.
The Intergovernmental Mixed Commission and the Kazakhstan-Spain Business Council have contributed to promoting projects and bringing administrations and companies closer together.
Beyond economic indicators, diplomats and business representatives from both countries often highlight a less tangible but equally decisive element: the trust relationships built over decades. In an international context marked by volatility, trust between interlocutors has become a strategic asset.
The consolidation of that trust has also counted on the active involvement of diplomatic representatives from both countries. From Astana, the Spanish ambassador, Luis Francisco Martínez Montes, has promoted an agenda aimed at strengthening economic, institutional, and cultural exchanges between both countries. From Madrid, the ambassador of Kazakhstan, Danat Mussayev, has played an equally active role in promoting new investment and business cooperation opportunities.
A relationship with a history
The trade figures show a growing relationship with ample room for development. In recent years, bilateral exchanges continued to increase, although oil still represents the largest part of Kazakh exports to Spain. Precisely for this reason, the challenge of the next decade will be to balance that energy dependence with new areas of cooperation. The authorities and the Kazakh business fabric observe with interest the Spanish experience in areas such as digitalization, financial services, infrastructure management, health, and artificial intelligence. From the Spanish perspective, the Kazakh market offers a privileged gateway to Central Asia and the trade corridors that connect Europe with China.
The recent history shows that Spain and Kazakhstan have managed to build a partnership based on shared interests and a trust relationship consolidated over more than thirty years. Energy was the starting point. Economic diversification, Eurasian connectivity, and new investment opportunities now point towards a phase of greater maturity. A stage in which energy will remain essential, but will no longer be the only engine of a relationship that aspires to be increasingly strategic.
La historia reciente demuestra que España y Kazajistán han sabido construir una asociación basada en intereses compartidos y en una relación de confianza consolidada durante más de treinta años. La energía fue el punto de partida. La diversificación económica, la conectividad euroasiática y las nuevas oportunidades de inversión apuntan ahora hacia una fase de mayor madurez. Una etapa en la que la energía seguirá siendo esencial, pero ya no será el único motor de una relación que aspira a ser cada vez más estratégica.