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 21^st 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.