Director of the Executive Directorate of the Association of Kazakhstan Machinery Industry Talgat Bazarbekov met with Head of the Economic Affairs Department of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Republic of Kazakhstan Seyed Mohammad Hosseini and First Secretary of the Embassy, expert of the Economic Affairs Department Mostafa Hossein Zadeh at the Association. 

During the talks, the parties discussed the possibilities of expanding bilateral cooperation in the field of mechanical engineering, prospects for cooperation between enterprises of Kazakhstan and Iran, as well as the development of joint ventures within the framework of the import substitution program. 

Talgat Bazarbekov stressed that Kazakhstan and Iran, being members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, have a high potential for developing cooperation: 

"We are interested in strengthening contacts between the enterprises of our countries. The Association of Kazakhstan Machinery Industry actively cooperates with foreign colleagues and today has established relations with 11 engineering associations in Europe and Asia. We are ready to develop similar cooperation with Iranian structures. I am sure that today's meeting will be an impetus for further rapprochement," he said. 

Special attention is paid to the creation of joint ventures. Kazakhstan has special economic zones and provides a number of preferences for the development of localized production. The following projects were cited as successful examples: a multi–brand automobile plant in Almaty (China, Astana Motors), the production of an updated Kia K5 model in Kostanay (South Korea, Allur Group), an electric locomotive production plant in Astana (France,  Elektrovoz Kurastyru Zauyty LLP), a locomotive assembly plant in Astana (USA, Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty JSC). 

Such examples demonstrate the effectiveness of joint projects and can become a guideline for possible Kazakh-Iranian initiatives. 

Talgat Bazarbekov invited Iranian companies to participate in the XIII Forum of Machine Builders of Kazakhstan and the international exhibition Kazakhstan Machinery Fair, which will be held in Astana on April 1-3, 2026. 

In turn, Seyed Mohammad Hosseini expressed gratitude for the opportunity to get acquainted with the activities of the Union and confirmed the interest of the Iranian side in establishing partnerships. 

"We have long wanted to get to know more about the activities of the Association of Kazakhstan Machinery Industry. We are confident that our cooperation will be mutually beneficial. As a first step, we propose to hold an online conference between companies from Kazakhstan and Iran in early October this year," he mentioned.

The negotiations became an important step towards the formation of strong business ties between Kazakhstan and Iran in the field of mechanical engineering. The parties agreed to continue the dialogue and build cooperation both at the level of associations and between specific enterprises.