This article covers the cooperation between India and Kazakhstan outside trade: training under ITEC, science and technology, health assistance during COVID-19, defence cooperation, security consultations and disaster response. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of July 2026, and training and participation figures are those given in that brief.

ITEC and training

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, Kazakhstan has been a partner country of India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme since 1992. India offers around 10,000 civilian training slots and 3,200 defence training slots world-wide, including 100 civilian slots and 25 defence slots to Kazakhstan.

Since 1992, more than 1500 professionals from Kazakhstan, civilian and defence, have availed of the short term specialised capacity building programmes offered under the scheme. The defence section of the brief separately states that about 370 defence personnel have availed of these short term training programmes.

Science and technology

During Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's visit in 2015, India gifted the Param Bilim Supercomputer to Kazakhstan. The brief records that the supercomputer was upgraded and operationalised on 28 June 2025 in Akkol, Kazakhstan.

COVID-19 assistance

In April 2020, the Government of India provided 30000 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine to Kazakhstan as humanitarian assistance for its fight against COVID-19.

In May 2021, in view of the deterioration of the epidemiological situation in India, the Government of Kazakhstan sent around 40 tonnes of air cargo to India as humanitarian aid. The consignment comprised 61.5 lakh medical masks, 4 lakh respirators, 50,000 anti-plague suits and 105 portable artificial lung ventilation devices made in Kazakhstan.

Defence cooperation

The brief describes defence cooperation as an essential pillar of the strategic partnership. It is carried out under an agreement on 'Defence and Military Technical Cooperation' signed in July 2015. The brief says it currently comprises military-technical cooperation, military education and training, joint exercises, bilateral visits, joint sports and adventure activities, and a Youth Exchange Program (YEP) between the NCC and the Voenni Kafedra (cadet corps) in Kazakhstan.

In August 2021, two Indian Army officers were deployed to Kazakh National University (NDU), Astana as English Language instructors.

Peacekeeping in Lebanon

In 2018, India and Kazakhstan agreed on the deployment of a Kazakh contingent under the Indian Battalion at UNIFIL in Lebanon. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, then Raksha Mantri, visited Kazakhstan on 2-4 October 2018 for bilateral talks and the joint flag-off of the 1st Kazakh contingent. About 530 Kazakh armed forces personnel have participated in the mission so far.

After four rotations at company level, India agreed to a rotation at platoon level. This was followed by the sixth to tenth rotations, of six personnel each.

Joint exercises

The KAZIND series of joint military exercises has been held in both countries:

  • KAZIND-21, a 13-day exercise in Taraz, Kazakhstan, from 30 August to 11 September 2021, focused on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in a mountainous, rural scenario under UN mandate
  • KAZIND-22, at Umroi (Meghalaya), 15-28 December 2022
  • KAZIND-2023, at Otar, Kazakhstan, from 30 October to 11 November 2023, in which the Air Forces of both countries and the Airborne Assault Forces of Kazakhstan took part for the first time
  • KAZIND-2024, the 8th edition, at Auli, Uttarakhand, from 30 September to 13 October 2024

Ministerial meetings, expos and working groups

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh met Defence Minister Lt. Gen. Nurlan Yermekbayev on 4 September 2020 in Moscow, on the sidelines of a meeting of SCO Defence Ministers. Lt. Gen. Yermekbayev paid an official visit to India in April 2021 and held meetings with the Raksha Mantri and the NSA. Shri Rajnath Singh met Defence Minister Col Gen Ruslan Zhaksylykov on 23 August 2022 in Tashkent, and again at the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting hosted by India on 27-28 April 2023, which Col. Gen. Zhaksylykov attended in person.

MoS for Defence and Tourism Shri Ajay Bhatt met Deputy Minister of Defence Mr Sultan Kamaletdinov to discuss bilateral defence cooperation, and the brief links this meeting to the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting in Ghana on 6 December 2023. Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane attended the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in Astana on 26 April 2024.

Kazakh delegations have attended Indian defence exhibitions. A 16-member delegation took part in Def Expo 2020 in Lucknow on 05-07 February 2020. A three-member delegation led by Deputy Defence Minister Lt Gen Ruslan Shpekbayev visited Gandhinagar on 17-19 October 2022 for Defence Expo-2022, and a two-member delegation came for Aero India 2023 in February 2023. A two member delegation led by the Chief of the Department of International cooperation of the Kazakh Ministry of Defence visited New Delhi on 5 December 2022 for joint services staff talks.

The 6th meeting of the India-Kazakhstan JWG on Defence took place in Bengaluru on 22 November 2023, co-chaired by JS(IC) Vishwesh Negi and Vice Minister of Industry and Construction Azamat Beispekov. The Seventh JWG on Defence and Military-technical Cooperation was held in Astana in April 2025.

Security cooperation

An MOU on Cooperation between the National Security Councils of the two countries was signed in February 2012. The first regular consultations between the National Security Secretariats were held in Astana on 27-28 February 2017, and the third in Delhi on 5-6 March 2019. The 4th India-Kazakhstan Security Dialogue took place in Astana on 3 August 2023, co-chaired by Amb. Vikram Misri, Deputy National Security Adviser, and Mr. Nurzhan Kajiakbarov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan.

National Security Committee Chairman Karim Massimov, a former Prime Minister, attended the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on 10 November 2021. He met the NSA and, with NSAs and Security Council Chiefs of other countries, met PM Modi. The first meeting of the India-Central Asia JWG on Afghanistan was held in New Delhi on 07 March 2023, with the Kazakh delegation led by Ambassador-at-Large Talgat Kaliyev.

The brief also records these regional security meetings:

  • A three member delegation led by Mr Gizat Nurdauletov, Secretary of the Security Council, visited New Delhi and Agra from 05 to 07 December for the inaugural India-Central Asia Meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils and NSAs (the brief does not state the year)
  • Mr. Nurdauletov attended the Meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils of SCO Member States on 29 March 2023, during India's SCO presidency
  • NSA Shri Ajit Doval led India's delegation to the 2nd India-Central Asia meeting of NSAs and Security Council Secretaries in Astana on 17 October 2023, and took part in the 3rd meeting in Bishkek on 16 October 2025
  • Dy NSA Shri Pankaj Kumar Singh led India's delegation at SCO RATS in Astana on 7-9 September 2023, and Shri Rajesh Arya, AS(NSCS), attended the SCO RATS GLE meeting there on 3-6 September 2023
  • NSA Ajit Doval attended the 19th annual meeting of the secretaries of the security councils of SCO member states in Astana on 02-03 April 2024

Emergency response

Mr. Yuri Ilyin, then Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, visited New Delhi for the 10th meeting of the Heads of Officers of the SCO member states on a joint urban earthquake search and rescue exercise, held on 4-7 November 2019. As Emergency Situations Minister, he attended the 11th meeting of the heads of the emergency situations agencies of SCO countries on 20 April 2023 and held a bilateral meeting with HM Amit Shah.