Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has pledged to channel sizeable financial backing through the World Bank’s Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund in a show of support for US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP).

He made the commitment at the inaugural meeting of the BoP held in Washington, DC on February 19. Uzbekistan’s leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev also attended the event.

Reportedly, Tokayev also said Kazakhstan will contribute troops to the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza, including security personnel and a field hospital staffed by military doctors. RFE/RL’s Kazakh news outlet, Azattyq, however, reported that the Kazakh president’s website did not state anything about such troops, only mentioning the provision of medical personnel. 

Kazakhstan’s offer builds on its participation in UN-mandated peacekeeping missions since 2014, including deployments with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. These missions have given the Central Asian country experience in multinational stabilisation operations.

In addition to security assistance, Astana promised wheat supplies to bolster food security in war-ravaged Gaza and 500 university scholarships for Palestinian students over the next five years, aimed at rebuilding professional capacity.

Neither the precise financial contribution to the BoP nor the number of troops to be deployed has been disclosed, leaving questions over the scale of the commitment.

Nevertheless, Kazakhstan joins a limited group of countries — among them Indonesia, Kosovo and Albania — that have publicly signalled a readiness to deploy peacekeepers to Gaza. Uzbekistan, for its part, reaffirmed earlier plans to redevelop a designated area of Gaza.

Western countries including the UK, Canada, France and Germany have declined to join the Board of Peace, which had 22 members at launch, amid fears that it could be used to sideline the UN.

Uzbekistan’s Mirziyoyev outlined plans for an “Uzbekistan Quarter” in Gaza comprising housing, schools, nurseries, healthcare facilities and community centres. Tashkent said the concept draws on its experience rebuilding earthquake-affected areas in Turkey. No funding details were made public.

Former Kazakh diplomat Dulat Baqyshev told RFE/RL that both Astana and Tashkent were seeking to deepen ties with Washington and expected tangible returns.

“Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan need US support. It’s been 35 years since our independence. Has any US president visited our region? No,” he told RFE/RL.

“Our independence, our sovereignty becomes stronger when it’s supported by the US,” Baqyshev added.

Since gaining independence in 1991, the five post-Soviet Central Asian states have sought to balance Russian and Chinese influence by cultivating relations with Western partners.

Mirziyoyev described Trump’s initiative as “bold and historic”, while Tokayev said “working together on this initiative is a step toward a safer, more stable region.” Tokayev also proposed establishing a peace prize bearing Trump’s name.

Uzbek political analyst Alisher Ilkhamov told RFE/RL that Kazakhstan may also have a more immediate objective: encouraging US pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a crucial shipments hub at the end of a pipeline that by far provices the main export route for Kazakh crude. Drone strikes in recent months have disrupted export flows, hitting a crucial source of state revenue.

“It is no coincidence that Tokayev has gone out of his way to flatter Trump for the second time,” Ilkhamov said.

During his US visit, Tokayev met with executives from leading American corporations and international financial institutions to discuss expanding investment ties, developing infrastructure and strengthening strategic cooperation, The Astana Times reported, citing the Kazakh president’s press service.

Tokayev held talks with Ben Black, executive director of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), focusing on opportunities to broaden investment collaboration and launch projects in key sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy, the state-run news agency’s report said.

Tokayev described the DFC as a significant partner in advancing Kazakhstan’s sustainable development agenda and reaffirmed his country’s readiness to expand cooperation across multiple industries, the report added. Black, in turn, said Trump’s administration places high importance on closer engagement with Kazakhstan. He pointed to mining and transport and transit infrastructure as particularly promising areas for joint initiatives, noting their importance for enhancing regional and cross-border trade.

In the aviation sector, Tokayev met with Boeing executive vice president, Jeff Shockey. The president said that Kazakh carriers Air Astana, SCAT, and Vietjet Qazaqstan are keen to deepen collaboration with Boeing on projects essential to the expansion of the country’s aviation industry. He highlighted Air Astana’s agreement with Boeing for new aircraft deliveries, noting that Boeing 787 Dreamliners are scheduled to arrive later this year, paving the way for direct flights between Kazakhstan and the US. SCAT is also planning to acquire additional Boeing aircraft and is exploring the establishment of its first aircraft maintenance and repair centre at Shymkent International Airport in cooperation with the US company.

Shockey presented Boeing’s digital development initiatives and commended Kazakhstan’s strong transit and logistics potential, emphasising opportunities in air cargo transportation, the report said. The sides also discussed specialist training and the expansion of Kazakhstan’s cargo fleet.

Additionally, Tokayev was informed about plans to build an international medical clinic in Kazakhstan through a partnership between Ashmore Healthcare International, Samruk-Kazyna Invest and the globally recognised Mount Sinai Health System. It would serve as the project’s medical operator.