Interview of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the Russian newspaper Izvestia
Question: In the coming days, you will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Recently, your personal meetings have been held regularly – on October 7 you came to Moscow, and on October 13 you participated in the work of the Council of Heads of CIS Member States in Bishkek, where you also met with the President of the Russian Federation. How do you assess the overall development of relations between our countries? What issues will be the focus of the upcoming negotiations?
Tokayev: Indeed, our meetings with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin are of a regular nature. This very clearly illustrates the high level of substantive content of relations between Kazakhstan and Russia. Whether it’s bilateral contacts or multilateral negotiations within the framework of integration associations, we always have something to discuss. The President of Russia is distinguished by high awareness and competence, his point of view on global and regional processes largely determines the nature of the situation in the modern world.
The important features of the Kazakh-Russian dialogue are constructiveness and focus on a mutually acceptable result. We always try to take into account the position of our Russian partners, and they take into account our opinion.
As you know, this year we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Good Neighborliness and Alliance in the XXI Century. Friendship between the peoples of Kazakhstan and Russia, of course, has a much longer history and goes back centuries. Nevertheless, the interstate agreement concluded in 2013 is very symbolic, as it emphasizes the aspiration of Kazakh-Russian relations to the future. It is in this vein that I assess the cooperation between our countries – it is good-neighborliness and alliance, having a rich past and a brilliant future.
The agenda of our upcoming meeting with the President of Russia in Astana is traditionally very extensive. We plan to thoroughly discuss issues of bilateral political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. We will consider the aspects of interaction within the framework of international organizations and integration structures. We will exchange views on the current state and prospects for the development of the international situation.
A separate item of the program will be our participation in the Forum of Interregional Cooperation. This is a unique and very effective format that promotes the strengthening of horizontal ties between the regions and entrepreneurs of the two countries. This year we are holding the 19th Forum in a row in the Kazakhstan’s city of Kostanay. The theme of the event is cooperation in the field of agriculture. I am sure that the Forum will be successful and fruitful, as well as the upcoming visit of the President of Russia to Kazakhstan.
Question: In October, together with the Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan, you participated in the ceremony of launching Russian gas supplies to Uzbekistan through the territory of Kazakhstan. How important is this project for your country? What other major economic and investment projects are currently being implemented with Russia and what are in the near future? What, in your opinion, are the prospects for the development of cooperation in the oil and gas sector and in the field of peaceful nuclear energy?
Tokayev: The gas industry plays a special role in the sustainable socio-economic progress of our states. Therefore, the supply of Russian gas meets the interests of all parties involved.
Launched on October 7, the project will contribute to the expansion and modernization of Kazakhstan’s gas transportation infrastructure, strengthen regional stability and energy security in Central Asia, give a powerful impetus to the industrial development of our countries, improve the business climate, and improve the standard of living of citizens.
We are interested in making full use of our transit potential and are ready to further increase the volume of Russian gas transportation.
Thus, on November 1, at the International Gas Forum, an Agreement on strategic cooperation between the Government of Kazakhstan and Gazprom was signed, aimed at developing and implementing long-term, with a horizon of up to 15 years, plans for mutually beneficial partnership.
Kazakhstan and Russia have been successfully cooperating in the oil sector for a long time. Such Russian concerns as Lukoil and Tatneft are successfully operating in our country.
In February of this year, JSC NC “KazMunayGas” and PJSC “Lukoil” concluded a number of agreements on the project of development of the sites of the fields “Kalamkas-sea”, “Khazar”, “Auezov” in the Kazakhstan’s sector of the Caspian Sea.
In addition, in 2022, the construction of the petrochemical complex “Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries (KPI)”, which will enter the top ten largest producers of polypropylene in the world, was completed. The Russian company Sibur is also involved in this project.
In 2022, a plant for the production of automobile tires “KamaTyresKZ” was built in Saran with the participation of Tatneft.
Oil transportation through the territories of both countries occupies a significant share in our fuel and energy complexes. About 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil is exported to foreign markets through the Russian territory (the Caspian Pipeline Consortium).
Similarly, Russian oil is supplied to China through the territory of Kazakhstan. In the period up to 2033, it is planned to transit more than 100 million tons of Russian oil.
One of the key areas of our energy cooperation is cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy.
There are different opinions about the feasibility of building a nuclear power plant in our country. On the one hand, Kazakhstan has a significant potential for the development of nuclear energy. The country ranks first in the world in terms of the natural uranium mining, it also has its own production of nuclear fuel components and access to uranium isotope enrichment services. The Ulba Metallurgical Plant produces ready-made nuclear fuel for China’s nuclear power plants.
On the other hand, many citizens and experts have concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants. And this is understandable, given the tragic legacy of the Semipalatinsk test site. We highly appreciate the assistance offered by the Russian side in the construction of a nuclear power plant on the territory of Kazakhstan. And the final decision on this issue will be made based on the results of the referendum.
In 2019, I stated in my election platform that decisions on the most important strategic issues would be made through referendums.
Answering your question about investment cooperation, I would like to note that the gross inflow of direct investments from Russia to Kazakhstan over the past 18 years has exceeded $ 20 billion. In turn, Kazakhstan’s investments in Russia amounted to about $ 6 billion.
This dynamic has become possible, among other things, thanks to industrial cooperation, within the framework of which business entities of the two countries are implementing 143 joint projects worth $ 33.5 billion.
30 landmark projects worth about $3.2 billion have been successfully implemented. Currently, 40 projects worth $16.6 billion are being implemented in such key sectors of the economy as mechanical engineering, metallurgy and chemical industry, creating over 15,000 jobs.
Cooperation in this direction clearly demonstrates the huge potential for the development of Kazakh-Russian cooperation.
Question: Western countries have imposed an unprecedented number of sanctions, which also affect the transport and logistics sector. Nevertheless, Russia and Kazakhstan are successfully cooperating in this area, for example, by developing the North–South transport corridor. What are your assessments of the prospects for such cooperation?
Tokayev: Kazakhstan does not have access to the World Ocean, so the North–South transport corridor with its final destination in the ports of the Persian Gulf and with further access to India opens up broad prospects and can become one of the locomotives of our country’s economic development.
The route is able to radically change the transport structure, the level of cooperation and interaction within the vast Eurasia.
To realize the full potential of the North-South corridor, the parties involved are taking synchronized measures to modernize infrastructure, expand terminal capacity and rolling stock, eliminate administrative hurdles, and establish favorable conditions for carriers.
Strengthening the transport connectivity between Kazakhstan and Russia, including through the North–South corridor, will certainly contribute to the growth of mutual trade and investment.
Today, it is transport and logistics that come to the fore in international cooperation. In fact, there is intense rivalry in the world for control over transport routes and logistics. Currently, a new transport framework of Eurasia is being formed, which, with the right approach, can yield serious economic and political gains for its participants.
Along with the development of physical infrastructure, it is extremely important to develop substantive solutions for creating a common digital transit system for goods. It should be reliable and easy to use, based on advanced digital technologies.
Kazakhstan will act as a reliable logistics hub, using all its capabilities and resources. We are ready to reconstruct bottlenecks in our railway and road network to increase cargo traffic.
Question: On October 13, at a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Bishkek, an agreement was signed on the establishment of an International Organization for the Russian Language, and its Charter was approved. Considering that you initiated the creation of this structure, what are your expectations from the activities of the Organization? How do you see the further development of cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, including within the CIS?
Tokayev: The common cultural and humanitarian space has been and remains an important unifying factor of the Commonwealth of Independent States. At the same time, one of the components of the success of our mutually beneficial cooperation in this dimension is the balance of harmonious development of the languages of the peoples of the CIS countries and the Russian language.
I think no one can deny today that it is the Russian language, which is one of the official languages of the United Nations and has the status of an international language, that acts as a serious consolidating factor in maintaining friendly relations between our states, an effective tool for the development of regional cooperation, cooperation and trust.
When I put forward the initiative to create an international organization for the Russian Language, I was guided, among other things, by world experience. Relevant international structures have been created for the development of French, German, Spanish and other languages.
I would like to note in particular that the idea of establishing an international organization for the Russian language is not aimed at creating an alternative to the state language policy of the CIS countries, including Kazakhstan.
It is important that the Organization has legal personality and will be open for accession by other non-CIS countries.
It is symbolic that this year has been declared the Year of the Russian Language in the CIS, and St. Petersburg, as the cultural capital of the Commonwealth in 2023, has made a significant contribution to strengthening cultural ties between the CIS countries.
In this context, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia continues to be an important part of bilateral relations.
Cooperation in this area has been very intense. There are Days of culture of Kazakhstan and Russia, Days of Kazakh and Russian cinema. The project “Russian Seasons”, which is being held this year, enjoys great audience success in Kazakhstan. Cooperation is being strengthened in the field of creative education, as well as in the museum and library sphere. Artists and collectives from Kazakhstan traditionally take an active part in cultural events in Russia.
I am sure this tradition will continue in the future on the basis of mutual respect and in the interests of the peoples of the two countries. It is important for us to acquaint the world with the Kazakh culture, while joining the original culture of Russia.
In general, during the thirty-year period of the formation and development of the CIS, the intercultural dialogue has certainly proved its important role in the dissemination of common cultural and humanistic values in the CIS.
I consider this direction to be the most important foundation of the spiritual unity of the CIS, the “golden bridge” that firmly connects our countries and peoples.
Question: Recently, branches of a number of Russian universities (including MEPhI and Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas) have opened in the Republic of Kazakhstan. What further plans do the two countries have in this area, maybe to expand cooperation in the field of secondary, vocational and primary education?
Tokayev: Today there are over 60 thousand Kazakhstani students studying in Russia – more than in any other country.
This indicates the demand and high educational potential of Russian universities. The choice is due to territorial proximity, the absence of a language barrier, financial accessibility, qualified teaching staff, prestige and fame of many universities since Soviet times.
In Kazakhstan, work is underway to open branches of leading foreign higher educational institutions of a technical profile. In 2023, Kazakhstan ratified the Agreement on the Establishment and Operation on a parity basis of branches of organizations of higher and postgraduate education, concluded between the governments of Kazakhstan and Russia.
The result of this work was the opening of a branch of MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) on the basis of al-Farabi KazNU and a branch of Gubkin Russian State University on the basis of the Atyrau University of Oil and Gas named after S.Utebayev. In 2024, it is also planned to open a branch of the D.I.Mendeleev Russian Technical Technical University on the basis of the M.H.Dulati Taraz Regional University.
Given the historical and cultural commonality of our peoples, there is a mutual interest in expanding cooperation in the field of secondary education. Negotiations are underway to establish joint Kazakh-Russian educational organizations in the southern regions of Kazakhstan.
At the same time, we are interested in opening appropriate schools in the Russian regions bordering Kazakhstan, where a large number of our compatriots live.
Question: Kazakhstan currently chairs the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. How is the interaction between our countries developing within the framework of this Organization? What areas of activity in the SCO are priorities for Astana?
Tokayev: Kazakhstan is a co-founder of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. For us, the SCO is one of the priorities in the development of a multilateral regional dialogue.
For more than 20 years of successful operation, the organization has become an authoritative multilateral platform with a broad agenda. Today, the SCO, with its colossal political, economic, human and cultural potential, can rightfully be called a guarantor of regional security, a vast space of mutually beneficial economic cooperation and a reliable conductor of strengthening cultural ties.
Actually, I spoke about this in my speech at the SCO Summit held in July this year. In our opinion, in the current difficult geopolitical and geo-economic realities, priority attention should be paid to strengthening the unshakable foundations of the “Shanghai spirit”, characterized by trust, mutual benefit, equality, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for joint development.
In this regard, Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO is a great honor and at the same time a huge responsibility. As Chairman of the SCO, our main goal is to promote cooperation in the Organization to an even higher level and ensure further efficiency of its work.
Proceeding from this, the priorities of the Kazakh chairmanship were declared to ensure regional security and stability, saturation of multilateral cooperation with real trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian content.
I would like to note that the positions of our countries on most current issues and prospects for further development of the SCO are consonant. This is, of course, an important indicator of the productivity of existing partnerships.
We are united in countering new challenges and threats, strengthening multilateral economic dialogue and humanitarian contacts.
Russia plays an active role in promoting the negotiations initiated by Kazakhstan on the creation of the SCO Information Security Center, our proposal to declare Almaty the tourism and cultural capital of the SCO, and 2024 the Year of Ecology in the SCO, is supported.
Our countries have joined efforts to work on further improving the activities of the SCO and its main bodies, as well as in preparing strategic documents of the Organization for the medium term in the fields of energy, economy, law enforcement and ecology.
I have high hopes for successful Kazakh-Russian cooperation, which will undoubtedly affect the success of the main event – the SCO Summit in July 2024.
To do this, we will have to carry out a lot of purposeful work together. I am convinced that our commitment to the “Shanghai spirit” and mutual support will continue to promote unity and the development of common approaches to the development of the SCO.
Question: We live in a turbulent time. There is an inevitable transition from a unipolar world to a multipolar one. The foundations of the global economic system are changing. What is your vision for the future?
Tokayev: As we can see, the formation of the architecture of the modern multipolar world is extremely painful. And against the background of conflicts taking place in various parts of the world, sanctions confrontation, trade wars, it is quite difficult to remain optimistic.
However, I believe that prudence and cooperation will prevail over block thinking and selfishness. This has happened more than once in world history. Eventually, the global community will come to a state of “long-term sustainable peace”. To achieve it, obviously, two conditions must be met – a willingness to make mutual concessions and strict adherence to the norms of international law. The second point is one of the main leitmotivs of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy.
I am firmly convinced that any contradictions must be resolved in accordance with the norms and principles of the UN Charter. This document was adopted by the world community after the bloodiest war in the history of mankind. In order to avoid the repetition of such tragedies, uniform, unambiguously interpreted rules of the game in the international arena were adopted. It was a great victory for the principles of humanism and humanity. The world has not yet come up with a better recipe for overcoming conflicts.
All countries are equal regardless of their size, power and economic potential. International law is subject to equal and universal application without double standards.
Therefore, I believe that as soon as strict adherence to the norms of international law prevails over emotions, the world will return to a state of stable equilibrium. And this formula is relevant both for political systems and for solving modern economic, environmental and humanitarian problems.
Today we are in the conditions of a serious aggravation of the international situation, where methods of political pressure, trade and sanctions wars have come to the fore, which leads to a full-scale crisis of the international trade system.
We are witnessing unprecedented geopolitical fragmentation and socio-economic polarization. There is a transformation of politics and economics at the global and regional levels. All this raises concerns about the safe existence of countries and continents.
To create a harmonious world economy, the countries of the Global South and the Global North must come to a common denominator based on the principles of mutual trust, respect for interests, as well as multilateral cooperation.
The UN should play a central role in this complex process. Currently, it remains the only non-alternative global organization that unites all of humanity.
At the same time, it should be recognized that the growing blockage and geopolitical fragmentation undermine the unity and supremacy of the UN mandate.
Criticism of the Organization is growing, and it is connected with the need for internal reforms. Numerous crisis phenomena in various parts of our planet have exposed the vulnerability of the UN in their settlement.
I believe that the time has come to make the UN the main guide in ensuring global security, able to withstand the challenges of the XXI century and effectively address the problems of our time.
Many of the Organization’s institutions were created during the Cold War and reflect the realities and methods of work of the historical era that has passed into oblivion. The need to reform the Security Council by expanding its membership is becoming more and more evident.
Small and medium-sized countries have historically been responsible for international stability, creating bridges between great Powers. It is important that the voices of such countries within the framework of the Security Council sound more and more weighty and play a significant role in ensuring peace and security.
Let me remind you that at the recent SCO and BRICS Summits, I proposed an Initiative on World Unity for Just Peace and Harmony. It is aimed at achieving effective progress in ensuring global security and stability, building a democratic and rational political and economic international order.
A radical revision of stereotypes in favor of cooperation will restore trust, strengthen the implementation of existing international obligations, as well as develop concrete measures to promote global sustainable development and solve urgent problems of world politics.
I am firmly convinced that at the present stage only constructive dialogue and collective efforts of states, highly professional diplomacy can restore stability in the world, lead to the construction of a fair system of international relations based on the UN Charter for the benefit of all mankind. ///Official website of the President of Kazakhstan – Akorda.kz , 8 November 2023
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