Russia-Kazakhstan talks

An official welcoming ceremony for President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Photo: Kremlin.ru

On the second day of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Russia, Vladimir Putin held talks with the President of Kazakhstan at the Kremlin.

The agenda focused on the further advancement of the strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Kazakhstan in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as the main topics on the regional and global agenda, Kremlin informs.

Before the talks, an official welcoming ceremony was held, during which the heads of state welcomed the members of the Russian and Kazakhstani delegations.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part, via videoconference, in the plenary session of the 21st Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum.

At the plenary session of the 21st Russia–Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum (via videoconference).
Photo: Kremlin.ru

As part of the state visit by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation, an extensive package of intergovernmental and interagency documents was signed.

Vladimir Putin and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the Declaration on the Transition of Interstate Relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Alliance.

Photo: Kremlin.ru

Following the talks, Vladimir Putin and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made statements for the media.

Photo: Kremlin.ru

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, friends,

We are delighted to welcome in the Kremlin the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan who is in Russia on a state visit.

Our talks were held in a business-like and constructive atmosphere and yielded tangible results which is fully consistent with the truly friendly and neighbourly relations between Russia and Kazakhstan. We had a detailed discussion on bilateral cooperation in all its aspects, and shared views on pressing regional and international matters.

The key outcome of the visit is the declaration on the transition of relations between Russia and Kazakhstan to an entirely new and more advanced level of comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance. Also, an extensive package of intergovernmental and interagency agreements and memorandums was signed laying out specific long-term provisions for joint effort in terms of security policy, trade, investment, culture and humanitarian affairs.

Obviously, economic ties were a priority of these talks. Last year, trade reached US$28.7 billion, which accounts for a fifth of Kazakhstan’s foreign trade.

For Russia, Kazakhstan is one of the biggest trade partners within the Commonwealth of Independent States and across the Eurasian space in general. Moreover, our mutual trade is structured in a way that enables us to constantly diversify it by increasing the share of non-primary goods. As for the share of national currencies in our mutual settlements, it already exceeds 96 percent, which enables us to make our business transactions immune to negative external impacts, including political factors.

Russia is a leading investor in Kazakhstan, with cumulative capital investments totalling approximately US$10 billion. Over 17,000 enterprises with Russian participation operate on the Kazakhstani market, and the two countries are implementing around 70 major joint projects across all key sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy.

Bilateral energy cooperation is steadily advancing. The majority of Kazakhstan’s oil exports transit through Russia, while Russian oil is shipped via Kazakhstan to markets in Asia.

In turn, Russia imports Kazakhstan’s coal, and the two nations have established mutual electricity supplies. Russia is also participating in modernising thermal and hydroelectric power facilities in Kazakhstan.

I should note that for many years, Gazprom has been stably supplying gas to consumers in Kazakhstan. Currently, opportunities are being explored to expand these supplies, particularly to the northern and eastern regions where Kazakhstan’s major industrial capacities are concentrated.

Companies from both countries are successfully collaborating on projects in the automotive industry, agriculture, agricultural engineering, and mineral fertiliser production. There are also plans under discussion to step up cooperation in the chemical industry and rare earth mining.

Russia and Kazakhstan are connected by a network of key Eurasian transport routes. Our countries are working to increase the capacity of automobile border crossings, while freight traffic by air and water is expanding, including across the Caspian Sea and along the Irtysh River.

Significant new prospects are emerging with the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which runs from Russia to the Indian Ocean. The eastern branch of this route crosses Kazakhstan before connecting to Turkmenistan and Iran.

Close cooperation continues in space research, including the joint operation of the Baikonur space centre. The Baiterek project, which envisions creating a new rocket and space complex for launches of the Russian Soyuz-5 vehicle, is underway, with its first launch expected before the end of this year.

Regional partnerships significantly contribute to the practical development of our bilateral ties. The 21st Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum is currently being held in Uralsk. President Tokayev and I have just addressed the participants of its plenary session via videoconference. The forum focuses on the pressing issue of training professional, highly qualified personnel for various economic sectors. It brings together representatives from more than thirty Russian regions and their counterparts from across Kazakhstan.

It is also symbolic that the latest Kazakhstan Culture Days in Russia are currently taking place in Moscow. Tonight, the President of Kazakhstan and I will attend a gala concert of Kazakh artists on the historic stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.

In general, I would like to note that Russian-Kazakhstani humanitarian cooperation has traditionally been rich and dynamic. Our countries closely collaborate in science, education, and sports, as well as through social and youth exchanges. Approximately 55,000 citizens of Kazakhstan are studying in Russia, with half of them on government scholarships. Branches of many leading Russian universities, including Moscow State University and MGIMO University, are successfully operating in Kazakhstan.

It is gratifying that the Russian language continues to be widely and freely used in Kazakhstan. I would like to express my gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan for this. According to the Constitution, Russian enjoys official status, and its use in various spheres of life is supported by the country’s leadership.

For its part, Russia is assisting in the construction of new Russian-language schools in Kazakhstan and in improving the overall quality of Russian-language education. Three additional schools are to open soon in the cities of Kyzylorda, Taraz, and Turkestan, in southern Kazakhstan.

When discussing key international issues, we reaffirmed that our approaches are close on most of them. Our countries coordinate their positions at the United Nations and other multilateral forums.

Russia and Kazakhstan were among the founding members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and are both actively involved in their work. With Russia’s support, Kazakhstan was granted partner state status in BRICS at the 2024 summit in Kazan.

Naturally, we are also working together to advance integration within the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Union. The next meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, along with the now-traditional informal gathering of CIS leaders, is scheduled to take place in St Petersburg in late December. We certainly look forward to President Tokayev’s participation in these events too.

In conclusion, I would like to praise today’s talks. I am confident that their results will contribute to the further strengthening of the multifaceted Russia-Kazakhstan partnership for the benefit of our countries and peoples.

Thank you for your attention.

Photo: Kremlin.ru

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev:

Mr President, colleagues, friends, members of the media,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Vladimir Putin for his invitation to make a state visit to Russia and for the exceptional hospitality extended to us.

I believe this visit is of particular significance for the further strengthening of the strategic partnership and allied relations between our two countries.

The agreements we have reached today are a clear demonstration of the successful development of our multifaceted bilateral cooperation and the irreversible nature of this unique interaction.

In my view, the scale of comprehensive cooperation between the two leading states of the so-called post-Soviet space has, in essence, become an important element of the Eurasian security architecture – a concept currently under discussion and development by a number of interested states.

It is of critical importance that we are united by a shared history spanning centuries, active cultural and spiritual ties, common values, and similar approaches to contemporary challenges and future development. It is on such a solid foundation that the strategic partnership is dynamically advancing in all areas.

This year has been marked by a number of anniversary dates of immense significance for our peoples. We duly celebrated the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, which served as a vivid testament to due respect we hold for the memory of the true heroes and patriots who demonstrated unprecedented unity in world history in defence of their Motherland and in the achievement of the Great Victory.

A landmark event was the 70th anniversary of the legendary Baikonur Cosmodrome, a symbol of our longstanding scientific and technical cooperation in space exploration.

Another important milestone is the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on the Kazakhstan-Russia State Border. The world’s longest land border, it stands as a striking symbol of our genuine neighbourly relations.

It is gratifying that our multifaceted cooperation is constantly enriched with new substance. Just now, President Vladimir Putin and I signed a Declaration on the transition of Kazakhstan-Russia relations to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance. This document is of historic significance, reflecting both the inviolability of mutual trust and the broad prospects for cooperation between our peoples.

In this context, I would like to express profound gratitude to Mr Putin for his personal contribution to strengthening our bilateral relations. In Kazakhstan, we know and respect the President of Russia as a statesman of global stature, whose name is recognised in all countries of the world and is perceived as a symbol of faith and will in defending the interests of the Russian people and the entire Russian state in this turbulent world.

Kazakhstan is genuinely interested in the prosperity of the Russian Federation.

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