The Central Asia–Italy Business Platform Forum was held in Astana on September 18, officially launching the B5+ITALY platform, according the Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration.
Italy was represented by Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Maria Tripodi. The forum brought together deputy ministers from the relevant ministries of Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the Ambassador of Tajikistan to Kazakhstan, as well as Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev.
The forum outlined a broad agenda for cooperation between Italy and the Central Asian countries, covering trade and investment, industrial cooperation, technology transfer, transport and logistics, the development of regional hubs, critical minerals, green energy and sustainable development, as well as agribusiness, deeper agricultural processing, energy and oilfield services.
The business forum initiative was a practical follow-up to the Italy–Central Asia Summit (5+1), held in Astana in May 2025 with the participation of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and marked a new stage in strengthening relations between Italy and the five Central Asian countries.
“We want to turn political dialogue into investment, industrial partnerships and new growth opportunities for our businesses, in line with the strategy set out in the Export Plan,” emphasized Undersecretary Tripodi in her speech.
Trade between Italy and Central Asia demonstrated positive growth between 2019 and 2025, increasing by 46.5 percent.
According to Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the growth is linked to the region’s significant market of around 80 million people, its abundant energy resources and raw materials, and its strategic location at the heart of transport and logistics links between Europe and Asia. ///nCa, 19 September 2026