On 5 March 2024, Acting Secretary-General, Ms. Atsuko Hirose, met Mr. Bolat Akchulakov, Presidential Advisor of Energy and former Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan at an event organised by the Embassy of Kazakhstan to launch the opening of Kazakh Invest’s new office in Brussels. 

The event, entitled “Sustainable Raw Materials, Green Hydrogen and Batteries,” hosted a high-level panel including Mr. Akchulakov; Mr. Luc Pierre Devigne, Deputy Managing Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the European External Action Service (EEAS); Mr. Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission (DG ENER); Mr. Peter Hadley, Head of Unit for Energy Intensive Industries and Raw Material of the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission (DG GROW); Ms. Sarah Rinaldi, Head of Unit, Middle East, Central Asia of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Commission; Mr. Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe; and Mr. Wolfgang Kropp, CEO of SVEVIND Energy Group; discussing the topic of the role of the private sector in unleashing Kazakhstan's potential in critical raw materials and green hydrogen.  The event concluded with a presentation by the Head of Kazakh Invest’s Brussels Office.