Romano Prodi, Italy’s prime minister, takes a 200-strong business delegation to Kazakhstan this weekend while facing the tricky task of lobbying for foreign investors without politicising the dispute over the development of the giant Kashagan oilfield by an Italian-led ­consortium.

Italian officials said on Thursday that Mr Prodi, joined by Emma Bonino, the international trade minister, would put a “strong focus” in their talks with President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday on new amendments to the natural resource law.