The next meeting is taking shape.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reaffirmed his invitation for Donald Trump to visit Kazakhstan and identified the G20 Summit in Miami as another opportunity to discuss the bilateral agenda, DKNews.kz reports.
The President of Kazakhstan met U.S. President’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor on September 12 on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, according to Akorda.
Trump Sends Tokayev a Personal Message
Sergio Gor opened the meeting by delivering a personal message from Donald Trump. The U.S. President congratulated Tokayev ahead of the 35th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence.
Tokayev thanked Trump for the warm wishes and reaffirmed his invitation for the American leader to visit Kazakhstan.
The invitation is part of an ongoing exchange between the two presidents. Trump had earlier invited Tokayev to attend the G20 Summit in Miami, while the Kazakh leader had invited the U.S. President to Kazakhstan.
Miami G20 Becomes the Next Diplomatic Milestone
Tokayev made clear in New Delhi that preparations for Miami are already underway. More significantly, he presented the summit as an opportunity to move the Kazakhstan-U.S. dialogue toward practical issues.
«I am currently preparing to take part in the G20 Summit in Miami. I believe this will also be a good opportunity to discuss the issues on the bilateral agenda. We prefer not fine words, but tangible results and practical steps to advance our mutual cooperation», — emphasized the President of Kazakhstan.
The Miami meeting has been building for months. In August, Trump sent another personal message saying he was looking forward to welcoming Tokayev to the G20 Summit.
That gives the September 12 statement additional weight: Tokayev is no longer speaking simply about an invitation. He has confirmed that he is preparing to attend and expects bilateral issues to be discussed there.
AI and Digitalization Move Higher on the Agenda
The New Delhi talks also revealed where practical cooperation could expand next. Artificial intelligence and digitalization were specifically identified as priority areas.
These sectors add a technological dimension to an economic agenda that already includes energy, critical minerals, transport and logistics. During earlier talks involving Sergio Gor, the two sides examined cooperation across those fields as part of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership.
No specific AI project, investment figure or new agreement was announced following the New Delhi meeting. For now, the significance lies in the decision to place the technology sector directly on the bilateral agenda.
Washington Signals Broader Interest in Central Asia
Gor described Kazakhstan-U.S. relations as having reached an unprecedentedly high level, linking the progress to close and trust-based contacts between the two countries’ leaders.
«Today, trade and economic ties and cooperation between our countries are actively developing. Our President attaches great importance to strengthening the partnership with Kazakhstan and Central Asia», — noted the Special Envoy.
The reference to Central Asia is significant because Washington has repeatedly framed its engagement with Kazakhstan within a broader regional strategy. At an earlier meeting, Gor confirmed the strategic importance of Central Asia in U.S. foreign policy.
For Kazakhstan, however, the relationship increasingly has a distinct bilateral track. Tokayev and Gor discussed investment projects, regional security and strategic areas of cooperation during their June meeting, when the Kazakh President also spoke about his expected meeting with Trump later in the year.
The next major test of that momentum will be Miami. The agenda is already expanding beyond diplomatic contacts toward AI, digitalization and economic cooperation, while Tokayev’s invitation for Trump to visit Kazakhstan remains on the table.
A few weeks ago, we also reported on Trump’s personal message to Tokayev ahead of the Miami visit, in which the U.S. President said he was looking forward to welcoming the Kazakh leader to the G20 Summit.
