Chisinau wants stronger business ties. Moldova’s new Prime Minister, Vasile Tofan, and Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Almat Aidarbekov focused their talks on investment, trade and joint projects, with the Moldovan side identifying several concrete sectors for cooperation, DKNews.kz reports.
The meeting took place on August 21 in Chisinau, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. Aidarbekov congratulated Tofan on his appointment as prime minister, while the two sides discussed the current state of Kazakhstan–Moldova relations and prospects for further development.
Moldova identified four sectors for potential joint projects
The Kazakh side emphasized the expansion of trade, investment ties and direct contacts between the business communities of the two countries.
The Government of Moldova provided more detail on the economic agenda. Areas with cooperation potential include energy security, transport, infrastructure reconstruction and medical equipment.
The two sides also discussed protecting mutual investments and creating conditions that could encourage further growth in investment flows.
For businesses, this is more specific than a routine diplomatic commitment to “expand cooperation”: Chisinau has outlined sectors where concrete projects could potentially emerge.
Tofan highlighted Moldova’s advantages for investors
Vasile Tofan drew attention to Moldova’s investment environment and the opportunities available to foreign companies.
Among the country’s advantages, the Moldovan government points to free economic zones and access to external markets. This could be relevant for Kazakh companies viewing Moldova not only as a domestic market, but also as a potential platform for broader regional operations.
The state investment agency Invest Moldova notes that the country has trade arrangements and agreements with the European Union, EFTA states, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and a number of CIS countries.
At the same time, the Aidarbekov–Tofan meeting does not yet mean that a specific investment project has been launched. No investment amounts, companies or implementation timelines for new projects have been officially announced.
Kazakh companies already operate in Moldova
The current talks are not starting from zero.
Several days before his meeting with the prime minister, Almat Aidarbekov met Corina Călugăru, State Secretary at Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Trade, investment, transport, logistics and energy were also discussed during that meeting.
Existing business ties include Moldovan company JLC in Kazakhstan, as well as Kazakh companies Rompetrol, Temir Zhol Zhondeu, Akzhol Kurylys, ES Engineering and Dolce Pharm operating in Moldova.
That gives the latest talks a practical objective: not to build economic relations from scratch, but to expand corporate presence and turn diplomatic dialogue into joint projects.
Vasile Tofan took office in July
For Moldova, the talks came shortly after a change of government.
The Moldovan Parliament backed Vasile Tofan’s government on July 21, 2026, together with the program titled “European Economy, Efficient State.” The new cabinet’s priorities include economic growth, investment, state modernization and continued European integration.
Tofan came to government from the investment sector. Before being nominated for prime minister, he was a senior partner at Horizon Capital. Moldovan President Maia Sandu nominated him on July 11.
That makes the investment focus of one of his early meetings with Kazakhstan’s ambassador consistent with the economic agenda of the new government.
Kazakhstan briefed Moldova on domestic political changes
The talks were not limited to economics.
Ambassador Aidarbekov informed the Moldovan prime minister about political developments in Kazakhstan, including the entry into force of the new Constitution and the elections to the Kurultai.
At the time of the August 21 meeting, the vote was still ahead: the elections were scheduled for August 23, 2026.
The meeting concluded with both sides stressing the importance of maintaining regular political dialogue. The most concrete part of the discussion, however, concerned economics: identifying joint projects, strengthening direct business contacts and expanding mutual investment.
The practical test will be whether the diplomatic talks are followed by specific companies, investment agreements and projects in the sectors highlighted by Chisinau — energy, transport, infrastructure and medical equipment.
We previously covered Kazakhstan’s new investment approach aimed at accelerating project launches and reducing infrastructure barriers for business. The talks with Moldova point to another side of the same agenda: expanding opportunities for Kazakh companies beyond the domestic market.
