Kazakhstan and the Netherlands discuss energy and rare earth metals at parliamentary level

Kazakhstan's Ambassador to the Netherlands, Akan Rakhmetullin, held two separate meetings with Dutch parliamentarians in early November. According to the embassy, both are part of its ongoing effort to strengthen bilateral and inter-parliamentary ties between the two countries.

On 9 November, the ambassador met with Pim van Ballekom, a senator in the Dutch States General representing the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Van Ballekom chairs the Senate's standing committee on finance and also serves as deputy chair of the Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly. The two discussed inter-parliamentary cooperation and energy cooperation — a topic relevant to both the Netherlands' energy security and Kazakhstan's economy — as well as Kazakhstan's ongoing reforms and the implementation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's State of the Nation Address.

On 11 November, the ambassador met with Mpanzu Bamenga, a member of the House of Representatives from the Democrats 66 party (D66). In parliament he covers foreign trade, infrastructure and climate policy, among other areas, and at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly he serves as rapporteur for the committee on democracy and human rights. According to the embassy, Bamenga expressed interest in Kazakhstan's domestic and foreign policy, human rights issues, and cooperation on rare earth metals and green energy development.

Why it matters for Chamber members. Parliamentary contacts typically precede more concrete business and government talks. The Dutch side raising rare earth metals and green energy at the parliamentary level suggests continued interest in Kazakhstan's projects in this area, following the Belgian king's October state visit, where critical raw materials and green technology were discussed at head-of-state level. Van Ballekom's role as deputy chair of the Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly also gives Benelux companies a rare direct point of contact spanning all three Benelux countries.