General information
February 11, 1992, established diplomatic relations.
In January 1999, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Spain was opened.
In June 1999, the Embassy of Spain in Kazakhstan was opened.
Since January 11, 2023, Mr. Danat Mussayev is the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Spain.
Since August 3, 2021, Mr. Jorge Urbiola López de Montenegro is the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Political cooperation
Highest level contacts
The First President of Kazakhstan N.A.Nazarbayev visited Spain eight times (last time February 5-6, 2013).
The Kings of Spain visited Kazakhstan seven times (official visits: Juan Carlos I in June 2007, Felipe VI on June 9-10, 2017).
The Spanish Prime Ministers visited Kazakhstan three times (José María Aznar - October 1997, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero - June 2011, Mariano Rajoy - September 2013).
High level contacts
On May 13-14, 2013, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan E.Idrissov paid the first official visit to Spain.
The Spanish Foreign Ministers visited Kazakhstan several times (last visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain José Manuel García-Margallo took place in April 2016).
Regular meetings of foreign ministers are held on the sidelines of major economic forums. Kazakh-Spanish political consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers are held regularly (the latter took place on May 14, 2021 in Nur-Sultan).
On December 15-16, 2019, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Mr. Mukhtar Tleuberdi, paid a visit to Madrid to participate in the 14th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Asia-Europe Forum (ASEM Council of Foreign Ministers).
In the context of the pandemic, bilateral telephone contacts are maintained between Minister Tleuberdi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain A.Gonzalez (May 18 and October 22, 2020).
On July 5-6, 2021, the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan M.Tleuberdi paid an official visit to Spain.
On October 23, 2023, in Luxembourg, within the framework of the 20th meeting of the Kazakhstan-EU Cooperation Council, a bilateral meeting was held between the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan M. Nurtleu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation of Spain J.M. Albares.
Inter-parliamentary cooperation
On July 16-17, 2017, the Chairman of the Congress A.Pastor paid a working visit to Astana.
On September 23-24, 2019, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate of Spain Mr. A.Limones Gutierrez paid a visit to Astana to participate in the IV Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of Eurasia.
On September 8, 2021 in Vienna, within the framework of the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, a meeting was held between the Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.Nigmatulin and the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies of Spain M.Batet.
On November 29, 2021, inter-parliamentary consultations were held in Madrid (the Kazakh side was represented by M.Yerman, the Member of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense and Security of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Spanish side was represented by P.Marí-Klose, the Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the Congress).
On November 30, 2021, the inaugural meeting of the Kazakh-Spanish inter-parliamentary friendship group was held in Madrid.
On March 2, 2022, Kazakh-Spanish inter-parliamentary consultations were held online.
Key agreements
Strategic Partnership Agreement of July 2, 2009.
Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Spain on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Spain on Cooperation in the Field of Economics and Industry, Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Spain on Cooperation in the Field of Culture, Education and Science, Convention between the Government of the Republic Kazakhstan and the Government of the Kingdom of Spain on avoiding double taxation and preventing tax evasion in respect of taxes on income and on capital, the Convention between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Spain on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, etc.
Spain is the first EU member state with which the entire package of criminal law cooperation treaties has been concluded.
Currently, the Kazakh-Spanish legal framework has 23 documents, 13 of which are intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
Multilateral cooperation
Kazakhstan and Spain are effectively collaborating within the international arena. Spain has consistently supported international initiatives of Kazakhstan (chairmanship in the OSCE, membership in the UN Security Council, etc.).
Spain supported Kazakhstan's candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council for 2022-2024, while Kazakhstan supported Spain's candidacy for the Human Rights Council for 2025-2027.
Kazakhstan also supported the candidacy of Malaga to host a specialized international exhibition in 2027 in exchange for supporting Kazakhstan's candidacy for the presidency of the 86th UN General Assembly in 2031-2032.
Trade and Economic relations
According to the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in 2022, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Spain amounted to $2.5 bln (exports – 2,32 bln, imports - 269 mln), an increase of 41% compared to the same period in 2022 ($1.9 bln).
Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Spain in 2023 amounted to $ 2.007 billion (exports - 1.5 billion, imports – 522 mln), which is 22.5% lower than in the same period of the previous year.
The goods of Kazakhstan's export: crude oil, ferroalloys, wheat, leather additionally treated after tanning, of cattle hides, slag, aluminium, dried legumes, electric engines, and generators.
The goods of Kazakhstan’s import: aircraft, soil sorting and grinding equipment, tyres, medicines, passenger cars, liquid pumps, mixed mineral fertilizers, automobile and tractor parts and accessories, insecticides, herbicides and wines.
Between 2005 and 2022, the gross inflow of direct investments from Spain to Kazakhstan amounted to $300 mln. the gross outflow of direct investments to the Spanish economy was $8,3 mln. In the first half of 2023, the gross outflow of direct investment from Kazakhstan to Spain amounted to $8.3 million (from 2005 to 2022 - $63.1 million).
As of first half of 2023, 99 legal entities with Spanish capital are registered in Kazakhstan, of which 63 are active.
The key mechanisms of trade and economic cooperation are the Kazakhstan-Spain Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation in the Field of Economics and Industry (IGC) and the Kazakhstan-Spain Business Council (BC). The 10th meeting of the IGC and the 7th meeting of the BC took place on May 2023 in in Astana.
The IGC is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Trade X.Méndez and Vice minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan K.Torebayev.
The BC is co-chaired by N.Baybazarov, Chairman of the Board of “Baiterek” JSC, and J.M.Vargas, President of “Maxam”.
As of June 2021, there are more than 60 legal entities, branches and representative offices with Spanish participation in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Such well-known Spanish companies as “Airbus Defense & Space” (deliveries of military transport aircraft), “Maxam” (production of explosives), “Talgo” (railway transport and infrastructure), “Grupo Anka” (construction, waste management), “Inditex”, “Pronovias”, “Cortefiel”, “Desigual”, “Mango”, “Joma” (retail and franchise) etc. are present on the Kazakhstan’s market.
Cultural and Scientific-educational cooperation
In accordance with the Agreement on cooperation in the field of culture, education and science between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Spain dated October 27, 1998, direct contacts and exchanges between universities, scientific and cultural centers have been activated.
In March 2015, “Rui González de Clavijo” Spanish Language Center was opened at the Eurasian National University.
Agreements on cooperation and student exchange were concluded between the Autonomous University, Complutense University and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. PhD researchers of Kazakh State University were at foreign scientific internship in Spain from September to December 2019.
Successfully developing cooperation with the University of Cádiz, in which 140 representatives of Kazakhstan have been passed at training programs. In 2019, 49 Kazakh students arrived in Spain to study at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
Cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere has intensified significantly in recent years. In November 2018, as part of the promotion of the state program of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Ruhani Zhangyru”, the Center for Kazakh literature and art was opened in Madrid in the library of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID). In December 2018 and January 2019, the State Opera and Ballet Theater “Astana Opera” toured Valencia with the ballet “Swan Lake”.
In December 2018, for the first time in Spain the concert of the Kazakh State Academic Folk Instruments Orchestra under the name of Kurmangazy was held with great success at the National Music Audience in Madrid.
In March and October 2016, Kazakhstan’s cinema cycles took place in Spain, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence. Since 2016, Kazakhstani films, with the support of the “Kazakhfilm” film studio, are regularly presented at the annual Asian Film Festival in Barcelona.
In April 2019, at the “Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid”, one of the largest cultural centers in Spain, the premiere of the documentary trilogy “Equus: The History of the Horse”, filmed by Canadian and Kazakhstan filmmakers, took place.
In September 2022, the inauguration of the Days of Kazakh Cinema in Madrid took place at the Center for Fine Arts.
In September 2019, in Madrid, at the Cervantes Institute, a solemn presentation of the Anthology of modern Kazakh prose and poetry in Spanish was organized. This important project for the first time provides for the translation of poetry and prose by more than sixty Kazakh authors into Spanish, which allows readers of all Spanish-speaking countries to get acquainted with Kazakh culture.
The big event of 2019 was the publication of the book of the First President of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev, “The Era of Independence” in Spanish.
In 2020, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Spain a number of events dedicated to the celebration of anniversary dates - the 175th anniversary of Abay Kunanbayev and the 1150th anniversary of Abu Nasyr al-Farabi.
On September 15, 2022, the inauguration of the "Days of Kazakh Cinema" was held in the historical center of Madrid at the cinema of the Center of Fine Arts, during which the European premiere of the films "Alga" and "Scheme" took place.
On May 26, 2023, Kazakh poetry, prose, as well as words of edification by Abai were presented at the Madrid Book Fair, which is the largest event in Spain for literature lovers.
The Anthology of Modern Kazakh Poetry and Prose, as well as the book "Abai", published in Spanish with the assistance of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Spain and the VISOR Publishing House, were presented.
On July 11, 2023, in order to popularize Kazakh literature more widely, Abai's works translated into Spanish were transferred to the collection of the National Library of Spain.
On July 13, 2023, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Spain organized an online meeting of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan S. Nurbek with representatives of Spanish universities.
The event was attended by more than 50 Kazakh and Spanish universities, the leadership of the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education and the Conference of Rectors of Spain.
On July 21, 2023, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Spain, together with the House of Asia, organized a conference "Great Personalities of the Kazakh Steppe: Abai Kunanbayev", dedicated to the Kazakh philosopher and thinker.
On October 25, 2023, as part of the celebration of the Republic Day, the Embassy organized a concert of the famous violinist E. Kulibayev, accompanied by the Spanish Chamber Orchestra of the Katarina Gurska Higher School of Music, which was held for the first time at the main concert venue of the Spanish capital - the National Music Auditorium.