Kazakhstan: Tokayev Receives Putin, Reaffirms Strategic Alliance with Russia
On the sidelines of the summit, 20 agreements were signed in many important sectors
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received at his official residence in Astana the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, who is in Kazakhstan on a state visit. After the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders spoke privately. Tokayev and Putin analyzed the current situation and prospects for the development of relations between Russia and Kazakhstan in light of the growing geopolitical importance of this largest and most economically developed former Soviet republic in Central Asia.
Tokayev thanked Putin for accepting his invitation: “This is undoubtedly a very important event in our relations,” he said, emphasizing that the two countries “not only maintained the positive momentum of bilateral cooperation, but also increased it” and that the agreements signed during the visit “will give a new impetus to the further development of cooperation.”
“We are friendly countries,” Putin said, expressing his gratitude and in turn inviting Tokayev to Russia. “Russia remains one of the largest trade and economic partners of Kazakhstan,” the Russian president emphasized, recalling that last year the volume of trade reached $28.5 billion, and Russian investments in Kazakhstan exceeded $13 billion.
Further, during the negotiations, the extended delegation discussed prospects for the development of broad cooperation: industry, energy, oil and gas, transportation of energy resources, machine building, logistics, finance, ecology, water resources, education, science and culture, humanitarian areas.
Russia and China are implementing a number of global projects in Kazakhstan that will turn the Central Asian republic into a strategic hub under China’s global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), commonly known as the New Silk Road. In addition, Russia and China will participate in the construction of a large nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, which will largely meet the country’s energy needs and also allow for the export of electricity to the other four Central Asian republics.
In this context, 20 agreements and memoranda of understanding covering many strategic areas of cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan were signed on the sidelines of the summit.
