Sayazhan Tuyakova
President Tokaev’s state visit to Pakistan took place on February 3-5 – the first in 23 years and the first in 2026. In the language of diplomacy, a state visit means the highest level of meetings. It usually includes a wide program of negotiations, forums, visits to cultural sites, opening monuments, centers, universities, and other events.The high level of respect and trust towards the President and our country was evident in symbolic gestures, he was escorted by Pakistan Air Force fighters on board, he was greeted by both President and Prime Minister and was conferred with Pakistan’s highest national award – Order Nishan-e-Pakistan. A large delegation of ministers and businessmen from different industries arrived together with the President.
In just two days, talks with the President and Prime Minister were held, a Joint Declaration on Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was signed, 19 memorandums between different departments and 32 trade documents worth about 200 million dollars were signed.
A business forum was held, cultural, educational and sports centers were opened – soft power in action. In addition, the President gave an interview to a local edition, covering a wide range of issues, including geopolitical nature.
Many ask themselves: Why do we need Pakistan and what are the benefits of cooperation with this distant country?
Indeed, before the visit of Pakistan remained a kind of terra incognita for many. However, this country cannot be ignored. It is the fifth-largest country in the world — about 250 million people by 2025 — with a nominal GDP of $410 billion. This is a huge market of sales and an opportunity to strengthen trade relationships. For Kazakhstani manufacturers, this is a chance to build volumes, which will have a direct positive impact on the country’s economy.
It should not be forgotten that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons and at the same time avoids full-scale international sanctions. As we can see, this is an extremely interesting country with great potential.
However, the strengthening of the political-economic relations between Kazakhstan and Pakistan and the successful state visit of the President, I attribute primarily to the work of our Kazakhstan Embassy Islamabad diplomatic delegation in Islamabad and the personal activities of Qystapa Erjan Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Pakistan E.S. Kistafin.
For the past five years, he has systematically told Pakistani audience about Kazakhstan, brought Pakistani business representatives to the country, persuading them to invest in our economy, emphasized common cultural views, and worked tirelessly to remove barriers, including logistics, that have made it difficult to develop close cooperation.
I am writing this post because the work of diplomats is often left behind the scenes. Few people know and understand what titanic work and how many years of meticulous work are behind two days of state visit, the opening of new airlines or the emergence of new export positions.
I want the work of our diplomats – both in our country and in the countries of residence – to be valued with dignity, because it is this daily, often unnoticed work that in many ways creates the basis for great political and economic results.
