Article by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.K.Tokayev published in the Russian newspaper Izvestia
The relations between Kazakhstan and Russia serve as a model of strong and unbreakable friendship. Our strategic partnership and alliance are based on close historical and cultural ties, as well as shared responsibility for the future of the two peoples.
Our countries, despite unprecedented global challenges, show an example of good neighborliness and multifaceted cooperation. Such cooperation is based on common interests, mutual respect, and constructive political dialogue at a high level.
We maintain regular contacts with Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, characterized by frankness, efficiency and mutual respect. This allows us to quickly resolve emerging issues and strengthen the truly friendly nature of relations between our states. Over the past year alone, the President of Russia and I have held full-scale talks four times, met several times on the sidelines of international events and talked on the phone.
Thanks to the efforts of the governments and business representatives of the two countries, trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia is steadily gaining momentum.
Currently, 23,000 Russian companies are working fruitfully in Kazakhstan, of which 4,000 have opened only in the last year, which indicates the high dynamics of our cooperation.
The volume of mutual investments is also consistently growing. In 2023, Russian companies invested more than $3 billion in Kazakhstan, and Kazakhstan invested the same amount in the Russian economy. Our countries create all the necessary conditions to support investors, providing a comfortable environment for doing business.
Kazakhstan and Russia carry out large-scale joint activities in the energy sector, industry, transport and logistics, agriculture and many other sectors. To date, over 90 projects worth more than $ 18 billion have been implemented, and 49 more promising projects are under execution.
Among the most significant are the start of construction of three thermal power plants in Kazakhstan, the modernization of the Ekibastuz GRES, as well as large-scale initiatives to gasify a number of regions of our country, increase the volume of transit of Russian energy resources in the southern and eastern directions.
Astana and Moscow are working fruitfully within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, which today has become an important mechanism for integration in the Eurasian space and has gained international prestige.
By the way, the Agreement on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union turned ten years old this year. As initiators and founders of this association, Kazakhstan and Russia have from the very beginning sought to consistently strengthen comprehensive cooperation to increase competitiveness at the global level. Over the past time, the EAEU has proven its effectiveness as one of the most important platforms where the process of integrating the economic policies of the participating countries and the development of mutual trade is successfully implemented.
The state visit of Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to Kazakhstan will be a particularly important event in the history of Kazakh-Russian relations. This visit has the highest interstate status, emphasizing the special importance of the strategic partnership between our countries.
During the upcoming meeting with the President of Russia in Astana, we will discuss a wide range of issues related to cooperation in trade and economic, transport and logistics, fuel and energy, and scientific and technical fields. We also plan to discuss further cooperation within the framework of international organizations and integration structures, as well as exchange views on the global situation, which, unfortunately, has become critical in its tension.
We, in Kazakhstan, always remember that our countries are united by the longest land border in the world. In our opinion, this is the border of eternal friendship and genuine good neighborliness. It is also extremely important that about 32 million people live in the border regions on both sides. The regions of the two countries make a significant contribution to strengthening our interstate relations. Therefore, an important point of the visit program will be the joint participation of the heads of state in the XX Forum of Interregional Cooperation.
I am sure that the upcoming visit will give a powerful impetus to investment and trade cooperation, and will contribute to the launch of new joint projects for the benefit of the citizens of the two states.
Our countries are preparing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory with dignity. A careful attitude to the common history runs through the cooperation of Kazakhstan and Russia.
In the twentieth century, our peoples passed a severe test together, defeating fascism during the most terrible war in the history of mankind. Kazakhstanis fought selflessly at the front. Kazakhstan has become a reliable strategic rear, providing the army with the necessary military products and food. Hundreds of thousands of families found shelter on Kazakh soil during the evacuation.
The words “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten” for Kazakhstanis is not just a beautiful slogan, but a capacious reflection of the eternal national memory of the unparalleled exploits of war veterans and home front workers.
Cultural and humanitarian ties are actively developing between our countries: cultural days, festivals, and exhibitions are regularly held, which find a positive response from the public.
Last year was held under the auspices of large-scale “Russian seasons” in our country. This year, Astana Culture Days were held in Moscow, the central event of which was the production of the opera “Abai” on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. There will also be exhibitions of Kazakhstan in the main museums of Russia – the Tretyakov Gallery and the Hermitage.
Kazakhstan’s participation in the “Games of the Future” in Kazan and the performance of Russian athletes at the World Nomad Games in Astana emphasize the relevance of new formats of humanitarian cooperation. Continuing this relay race, Kazakhstan will host the next “Games of the Future” in 2026, initiated by Russia.
Cooperation in the educational sphere is being filled with new content. Our plans include the opening of Russian schools in the southern regions of our country. In turn, we count on the establishment of Kazakhstani schools in Russian cities bordering Kazakhstan.
Currently, about 60,000 Kazakhstani students study in Russian educational institutions. It is planned to open a branch of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in Astana and a representative office of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Omsk.
In Kazakhstan, over 3,500 schools teach in the Pushkin language, TV channels and radio stations broadcast, newspapers and magazines are published, and Russian drama theaters delight their viewers in almost all regions.
Our country initiated the creation of an International organization for the Russian Language under the auspices of the CIS. The organization will develop cooperation between the CIS countries on issues of support and promotion of the Russian language. I am convinced that this will contribute to strengthening friendship, good neighborliness, interethnic harmony, mutual understanding and trust between our peoples.
Kazakhstan and Russia successfully cooperate in the international arena, defending the ideas of multipolarity, peaceful dialogue, and respect for the sovereignty of all states.
The positions of Kazakhstan and Russia are in tune on many issues of the global and regional agenda. This fact is reflected in the coordination of our efforts within the framework of integration associations and multilateral platforms, including the CIS, CSTO, SCO, CICA and others.
In July of this year, the SCO summit was held in Astana, following which the Declaration “On World Unity for Just Peace, Harmony and Development” was adopted. The document emphasizes that the SCO can contribute to the creation of a new architecture of unified and indivisible security in Eurasia.
A landmark event of the past year was the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS member States held in Moscow in October, where CIS countries reaffirmed their commitment to the development of mutually beneficial multifaceted cooperation.
This year, Kazakhstan is chairing the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The upcoming summit in Astana will be an important event in strengthening regional security and stability. Our country is aimed at fully supporting joint efforts aimed at ensuring peaceful collective security and maintaining friendly relations between the participating States.
I would also like to note the impressive results of the historic BRICS summit in Kazan. This forum took became possible thanks to the personal efforts and authority of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the effective chairmanship of Russia in this organization representing the interests of more than 45 percent of the world’s population.
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Summing up, it can be stated with confidence that the current year has been very productive in our bilateral cooperation. At the same time, we have a lot of work for 2025, during which we will have to implement a large number of joint initiatives and projects. I am sure that all of them will bring tangible benefits to the citizens of both countries.
Kazakhstan and Russia have built truly friendly and, most importantly, trusting relations based on good neighborliness and alliance. I believe that together we are able to realize the most daring ideas that meet our fundamental interests. As for our country, we have been and remain a reliable strategic partner and ally of Russia in this difficult period of history filled with conflicts and cataclysms. ///originally published on the website Akorda.kz, 27 November 2024