Thank you for setting aside the time for this meeting and the opportunity to meet with you. On May 18, you had a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin. He conveys his warmest regards and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday. You maintain close communication. You have already met in person twice this year (in addition to telephone conversations). Meetings are scheduled to be held as part of the SCO and the CSTO in Kazakhstan. We are also preparing for a BRICS summit in Kazan in October and hope that Astana will accept our invitation to participate in the events for the partner countries.

Our respective prime ministers maintain regular contacts and will soon meet in Ashgabat at the CIS Council of Heads of Government. Today, I have held talks with Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, both one-on-one and as part of broader talks with the delegations’ participation. Our foreign ministries are consistently working to implement the agreements reached between you and President Putin, including the Joint Statement adopted in 2023 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Treaty of Neighbourliness and Alliance in the 21st century.

We have a Joint Action Plan for 2024-2026, which fills our relations substantively. We noted the leaders’ commitment to implementing other projects that will make the lives of our people more comfortable and our interactions easier. This is an important area as well.

We appreciate our economic and financial relations and look forward to the entire range of our ties that cover almost all areas of human activity continuing to expand steadily.

Source
https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1951787/?lang=en

Сообщение Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during a meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Astana, May 20, 2024 появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

Some issues of bilateral cooperation and upcoming contacts in various formats were touched upon. The mutual intention to further strengthen the Russian-Kazakh alliance and strategic partnership was confirmed.

Vladimir Putin also shared his impressions of the state visit to the People’s Republic of China that ended yesterday.

Earlier, the President of Russia sent a congratulatory telegram to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

A source

http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/74067

Сообщение Telephone conversation with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

In Astana, the chairmen of the security councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries discussed joining efforts to prevent and mitigate such threats. Marat Imankulov, who represented Kyrgyzstan at the meeting, noted the increasing activity of international terrorist organizations and extremist groups, pointing to recent terrorist attacks in Iran and Russia with a large number of dead and injured.

Imankulov stated that the international situation continues to heat up. New threats are emerging for SCO countries that undermine regional security, disrupt historical ties and seek to weaken the sovereignty of the organisation’s members. According to the secretary of the Kyrgyz Security Council, the spread of radical ideas has increased, particularly affecting young people, and the internet is being used to promote terrorism and extremism.

In this regard, Kyrgyzstan invited its partners to strengthen the coordination of joint actions and strengthen the SCO’s ability to ensure the stability of the region. Of course, such meetings use only formal and streamlined language, but as systems analyst Baktybek Saipbayev noted, the security agencies of friendly countries have a lot of work to do. Their priority is preventing terrorist activity, identifying sleeper cells and accomplices, as well as sponsors and customers of sabotage attacks in the SCO’s territory and area of responsibility.

“Apart from terrorism, let’s say, in its classical manifestations, we are now facing quite ugly forms of using mercenary performers, and these are no longer fanatics. There are attempts to recruit illiterate, needy and weak-minded people who, either for a fee or through intimidation, are pushed to organize and commit subversion. This subversive work is carried out via the Internet, mostly from non-CIS countries.

Through these attacks, they want to intimidate the population and sow discord on national and religious grounds. Their goal is to disperse neighbors and clash with each other, to disrupt interstate ties. I can state that these actions are directed not only against Russia and China. They threaten all the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” Baktybek Saipbayev said.

In this context, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s speech at a meeting with the secretaries of the security councils of the SCO member states in Astana contained very important messages. He emphasized that his country adheres to the principle of indivisibility of Eurasian security, which implies mutual understanding and creation of confidence-building measures. This approach should form the basis of the strategic task to form a security belt around the perimeter of the SCO.

The Kazakh leader noted that the meetings of the SCO security council secretaries acquire special relevance given the growing role of collective security in the organization’s vast area of responsibility.

“Last year there were 183 regional and local conflicts in the world, the number of which increased by almost 30 percent. This is the highest figure in the last three decades. Experts believe that a global cycle of conflicts and violent actions is unfolding. Against this background, the threat of international terrorism is growing,” Kasym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.

Speaking about the inhuman terrorist attack on the Crocus concert hall near Moscow, the President of Kazakhstan said: “The main thing is to draw the right conclusions and take the necessary practical measures. It is required to ensure the safety of our citizens and give a worthy response to the terrorist threat.

Also, the head of Kazakhstan focused attention on the fact that the Shanghai Organization was once created to ensure stability and security in the region to jointly confront the “three forces of evil.”

“From us, in turn, we need a more systematic and decisive response. We cannot allow manifestations of terrorism, extremism and separatism to be used to undermine internal stability in our states. Countering the “three forces of evil”, as well as transnational organized crime, drug trafficking and cyber security challenges is one of the priorities of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The meeting of the secretaries of the security councils was an important stage in the preparation for the summit of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, which is scheduled for early July. Well, and very soon, in a few days, the official visit of the President of Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan will take place. At these talks, Sadyr Zhaparov and Kasym-Jomarat Tokayev intend not just to strengthen, but to significantly expand allied relations between our countries, and, of course, we will talk about increasing cooperation in the increasingly demanding security sphere.

Source
https://kabar.kg/news/nedelimaia-bezopasnost-evrazii-vyzovy-stoiashchie-pered-shos/

Сообщение Eurasia’s Indivisible Security. Challenges facing the SCO появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

Sadyr Zhaparov noted on behalf of the entire Kyrgyz people that they received with great concern the information about the ongoing large-scale flooding in Kazakhstan.

The President is confident that Kasym-Jomart Tokayev and the Government of Kazakhstan will take all necessary measures to localize natural disasters in the regions of the country and mitigate the consequences of floods.

During the conversation, the parties also discussed upcoming events at the highest and highest levels.

Expressing words of support to President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, President Sadyr Zhaparov congratulated the brotherly people of Kazakhstan on the upcoming Orozo Ait holiday and wished that this spiritual holiday would bring peace, tranquility and stability to the peoples of the two countries.

In turn, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev thanked Sadyr Zhaparov for his words of support.

Source
https://president.kg/news/all/25196

Сообщение President Sadyr Zhaparov held a telephone conversation with President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

This was announced by the President at the site of the third Belt and Road Forum

In Beijing, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced new solutions to expand the transit potential of the country within the framework of the Chinese initiative “One Belt, One Road”, the correspondent of the business information Center reports Kapital.kz .

According to the Head of state, being in the center of Eurasia, connecting the West and the East, Kazakhstan plays a special role in the implementation of the megaproject of the People’s Republic of China.

“Kazakhstan is making serious efforts to become a transport and logistics hub of international importance. Currently, about 85% of all land transit traffic from China to Europe falls on Kazakhstan. Over the past 35 years, we have allocated over $ 35 billion for these purposes,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during the III High-level Forum “One Belt, One Road”.

He noted that such infrastructure projects as the Kazakh-Chinese logistics center in the city of Lianyungang have already been launched. As well as the Khorgos dry port, the Western Europe-Western China transit highway, and the railway corridor from China to Iran.

“Within three years, we plan to lay 1,300 new kilometers of railway tracks. The third railway checkpoint is scheduled to open on the Kazakh-Chinese border. In addition, the construction of a new dry port “Bakhty”. All these are real examples of the integration of major economic projects of Kazakhstan within the framework of the global Chinese initiative,” the President of Kazakhstan concluded.

Recall that the third Belt and Road Forum began on October 17, with representatives of various states taking part in it, as China seeks to consolidate the program promoted by Xi Jinping as a key element of the country’s foreign policy.

A source: https://e-cis.info/news/567/112932/

Сообщение 1,300 kilometers of railway tracks will be laid in Kazakhstan появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

“We welcome the fact that today an agreement will be signed on the establishment of an international organization for the Russian language, which will promote it in the world. It is important that the organization’s activities in the Russian language are not limited to the Commonwealth space, but will be open for accession by all states that share its goals and principles,” Putin was quoted as saying by TASS.

He noted that he expects the operational launch of the functioning of this organization and offered to place its headquarters in Sochi.

Russian Russian Language Year is being successfully held in the CIS, Putin also said, and thanked the partners for supporting the statement adopted today at the summit on the promotion of the Russian language as the most important consolidating element of the entire post-Soviet space and a means of interethnic communication.

According to him, the idea of adopting such a statement belongs to the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with the laureates and finalists of the All-Russian Teacher of the Year competition, called it important to create such conditions so that visitors from post-Soviet countries understand the language and culture of Russia.

A source: https://e-cis.info/news/566/112823/

Сообщение Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to place the headquarters of the Russian Language organization in Sochi (Russia) появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

Consistent convergence

On October 12, 1998, an agreement on economic cooperation was signed between Russia and Kazakhstan, which was valid until 2007. Its provisions were implemented, after which the document became invalid, but it was replaced by new agreements and agreements on deepening integration – first within the Customs Union, and then in the EAEU format (since 2014). Participation in integration processes occupies a special place in the relationship between the two countries. It was Kazakhstan that put forward the initiative on Eurasian economic integration in 1994. Since 2010 Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have united into a Customs Union, a Single economic Space has been operating since 2012, and in 2014 an agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union was signed in Astana.

In 2022, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Russia, pointed to the close cooperation of the two countries on multilateral platforms and within the framework of integration associations in the Eurasian space, which meets the long-term interests of the states.

“Over the past decades, both states have built truly allied relations of strategic partnership based on strong ties of friendship and good neighborliness, common historical and spiritual values … Russia is a reliable trade and economic partner of Kazakhstan, one of the leading investors in our country’s economy. The successful implementation of major joint projects in various fields contributes to the expansion of interregional dialogue and the deepening of comprehensive cooperation,” the President noted.

In the same year, the countries signed a joint declaration, which emphasizes that they are aimed at expanding and deepening cooperation in all areas of bilateral cooperation, plan to develop a fair multipolar world order, intend to strengthen allied relations and integration cooperation.

Trade and investment

In 2021, Russia became a key trading partner of Kazakhstan. In 2022, the number of commodity items of Kazakhstan’s exports to Russia has almost doubled. This trend continues this year: in the first 7 months, the trade turnover between the countries increased by more than 10% and exceeded 1.5 trillion rubles. At the same time, most of the settlements between Russia and Kazakhstan are carried out in national currencies.

The accumulated volume of direct investments from Russia to Kazakhstan over the past 17 years has reached about $20 billion. In turn, Kazakhstan’s investments in Russia amounted to about $6 billion. More than 18 thousand companies with Russian participation and joint ventures operate in Kazakhstan. Many programs, benefits and discounts have been created in Kazakhstan to attract Russian business.

According to the EDB, 80% of Kazakhstan’s and 20% of Russia’s GDP are formed in the border zone. Against this background, countries are deepening ties between regions. 76 out of 89 Russian regions have already established trade and economic cooperation with Kazakhstan. Within the framework of the last Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, the regions of the two countries concluded 7 interregional and 10 commercial agreements totaling $50 million.

Key areas of cooperation

President Tokayev called cooperation with Russia an example of successful development of industrial cooperation. To date, the two countries have implemented 30 joint projects in this area. More than 100 more cooperative projects worth more than $22 billion are in the process of implementation. Recent agreements include an agreement to localize the assembly production of the SP–30 light-engine aircraft in Kazakhstan, as well as the participation of Russian enterprises in modernization, digitalization and training of personnel for the Kazakh industry.

Energy is another area on which Kazakhstan relies when interacting with the Russian side. In October 2023, Russia began supplying gas to Uzbekistan through the territory of Kazakhstan. Thanks to the implementation of the project, Astana will not only be able to receive revenue from transit, but will also expand and improve its gas transportation infrastructure, and will also have the opportunity to import Russian energy resources for enterprises and for gasification of regions. At the same time, the countries plan to create a working group on cooperation in the energy sector.

The transport and logistics sphere has become particularly relevant in the interaction of the two countries. Russia and Kazakhstan are working together on the development of the North-South international transport corridor. For 8 months of 2023, transportation along the eastern branch of the corridor, which runs through Kazakhstan, increased by 25% and reached 1.4 million tons. In this regard, Astana is working on the modernization of checkpoints on the Russian border to reduce transport costs and reduce transit time.

Future plans

Despite the achieved results, Russia and Kazakhstan retain great potential for cooperation. In particular, in the coming years, the countries plan to increase mutual trade turnover to $ 30 billion. In 2024, the two states are going to increase the number of joint investment projects to 250. At the same time, Russia plans to provide its territory for the transit of Kazakh oil.

Within the framework of the comprehensive program of cooperation between governments for 2021-2024. Russia and Kazakhstan intend to increase cooperation in key areas: trade, industry, transport, digital economy, energy, science, interregional relations and others.

Moscow and Astana continue to deepen economic cooperation despite the pressure of Western countries. Both Russia and Kazakhstan have repeatedly pointed out the counterproductivity of the sanctions policy. Such an approach allows the two countries to increase trade, implement joint projects, including high-tech ones, as well as strengthen integration within various associations.

A source: https://e-cis.info/news/566/112786/

Сообщение Russia and Kazakhstan have strengthened economic cooperation in response to sanctions появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

However, closer cooperation between the five countries of the Central Asian region in all areas, including in the transport and logistics sector, is hindered by the absence of an Agreement on friendship, good-neighborliness and cooperation, which has not yet been signed by Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In this regard, it is not by chance that at the recent summit of the “five” in Dushanbe, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for intensifying work on this treaty. “This will be a clear political evidence of the maturity of our states, readiness to independently determine the fate of our region. We understand the positions of the parties, since these issues affect national issues. At the same time, for full implementation, it is important to come to common positions as soon as possible,” he said.

Indeed, there are enough contradictions between the participants of this five-sided format, but it is also quite obvious that there is a search for a common approach to the problems at hand, including transport and logistics issues. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that on the eve of the summit in Dushanbe, a meeting of the transport ministers of the five countries was held, at which the draft agreement “On strengthening the interconnectedness of land transport in Central Asia” was approved, which was later signed following the results of the summit of the “five” in the capital of Tajikistan.  Moreover, the leaders of the countries of the Central Asian region agreed that one of the ways to solve this problem could be the search for routes through the Caspian Sea.

Here it is appropriate to recall another event of the three countries of the region. In August of this year, the first summit of the heads of state of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Emomali Rahmon and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, respectively, took place in Ashgabat. In addition to the Afghan topic, the Presidents of the three Central Asian states discussed issues of water and energy cooperation and the development of transport corridors, in which Dushanbe and Tashkent, which have no access to the sea, are extremely interested. It should be noted that this meeting was made possible due to the desire of the official Ashgabat to change its image in the world from a complex to a more reliable and predictable partner, especially in matters of transport and transit.

First of all, this concerns transport corridors. Historically, the region is surrounded by mountains, rivers, deserts, there are routes through Russia, but they are limited by Western sanctions against Moscow. For this reason, routes through the Caspian Sea and further to Europe are a way out of the “logistics bag” for the Central Asian countries. For this reason, Turkmenistan, which has access to the Caspian Sea, is beginning to play an increasingly important role in solving the main problems of the Troika, which guarantees, in particular, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan access to the ports of the Caspian Sea.

It should be noted that Central Asia has always been an important region from an economic and strategic point of view, so almost all major world players are building cooperation with the countries of the region. And recently, another actor has become more active in this region – Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AR) Ilham Aliyev was invited as an honorary guest to the above-mentioned summit in Dushanbe in this regard. “Azerbaijan is a reliable transit country for the Central Asian countries on the way to the markets of Turkey and Europe,” the Azerbaijani leader assured his colleagues from Central Asia in his speech at the summit. He also noted the importance of transit in the opposite direction: “Our brothers in Central Asia know that the entire transport and logistics infrastructure of Azerbaijan is open to them.”

Experts tend to believe that Baku is increasing its activity in Central Asia for a number of reasons. Azerbaijan is growing strategically, and the connection with Central Asia through the Caspian Sea is extremely important for it, since the entire transport and raw materials infrastructure is related to this strategy. It is appropriate to recall here that during the landmark Fifth Caspian Summit (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan) in Aktau in August 2018, Baku, together with Astana (then Nur-Sultan) and Ashgabat, signed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, which then became known as the “Constitution of the Caspian Sea”. Thus, the first and most important reason for Azerbaijan’s interest in Central Asia is the Caspian Sea.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan is not only in words, but also in deeds, intensifying its relations with the Central Asian countries. For example, Ilham Aliyev recently paid a visit to Dushanbe, where he discussed the issue of connecting Tajikistan to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM) through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and further through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Turkey and Europe. It is quite clear that official Tashkent is also interested in this route. It is no coincidence that this issue was discussed at the talks between President Aliyev and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Baku, where the leader of Uzbekistan visited in August on his first visit after winning the presidential election. Thus, in addition to geographical proximity, Azerbaijan has economic and political interests in the Central Asian region that are common to both the Central Asian countries and Baku.

At the same time, speaking about the transport and logistics problems of the Central Asian countries, one cannot but say that under the pressure of the West and the fear of falling under its secondary sanctions, the capitals of the states of this region are thinking about revising relations with Russia. In this regard, attention is drawn to the fact that recently the Central Asian countries have been showing increased activity in three areas. This is intraregional activity, activity in relations with China and, finally, in relations with the United States. Thus, Russia – let’s look at things soberly – is gradually and steadily being pushed aside. Unwittingly, Beijing “helps” them in this, which is increasingly interacting and cooperating with the Central Asian countries, including within the framework of its large-scale “One Belt, One Road” (OPOP) project.

The situation around Ukraine and the strengthening of Western sanctions against Russia have forced China to seriously reconsider its approaches to the formation of the Eurasian transport and logistics infrastructure. It is no secret that Beijing takes a pragmatic position in its foreign policy – politics separately, economy separately. For example, the growth of global competition with the United States forces China to maintain active trade and economic cooperation with the EU countries (China’s trade turnover with the EU in 2022 amounted to $847.3 billion against $759.4 with the United States) to look for continental transport routes instead of the current sea routes passing through the Strait of Malacca off the coast of Singapore, Washington’s ally.

Taking this into account, Beijing, within the framework of the OPOP initiative, directed its efforts to create its own safe trade routes and shifted the focus to another branch of the Eurasian bridge – the route from China through Central Asia and West Asia to the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea, including the Caspian Sea and Transcaucasia, bypassing Russia. Moreover, with the beginning of its operation in Ukraine, China began to send freight trains from Xi’an on a new route: transit through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic to Germany. In the future, it is planned to integrate the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars route into this project. It is not surprising in this regard that the volume of cargo transportation by TMTM in 2022 increased 2.5 times and reached 1.5 million tons.

A peculiar indicator demonstrating the decline in Beijing’s attention to the route from China through Central Asia and Russia to the Baltic Sea was the reports that the PRC did not make new investments in the Russian economy within the framework of the OPOP initiative projects in the first half of last year. And this is despite the fact that China continues to develop its initiative and in October Beijing will host the third forum dedicated to the “One Belt, One Road” initiative proclaimed 10 years ago.

A source: https://e-cis.info/news/566/112412/

Сообщение The Caspian Sea: political geography появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

Tajikistan has presided over the previous three years.  These years, according to the RT representative in the Executive Committee of IFAS Sanoi The boyzodes turned out to be very fruitful. “Four meetings of the foundation’s Board were organized, about 30 decisions were made on the most important issues of the organization’s activities. For example, the Fourth Action Program for Assistance to the Countries of the Aral Sea Basin (PBAM-4) and the Regional Environmental Protection Program for Sustainable Development in Central Asia were approved.

Every effort was made to attract the attention and financial resources of international organizations, financial institutions, and donor countries, including to ensure the implementation of the PBAM-4. Three coordination meetings were held with development partners. Dozens of national and regional projects with a total budget of more than $ 650 million are at the stage of implementation,” said S. Boyzoda NIAT “Khovar”.

In addition, a number of commemorative events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of IFAS were organized this year, including an International conference in Dushanbe on June 5-7, 2023 with the participation of representatives of Central Asian countries, international organizations, academia and other interested parties. The main achievements of the fund were discussed, as well as current problems of the Aral Sea basin, and a number of recommendations were adopted to solve these problems.

A source: https://e-cis.info/news/566/112256/

Сообщение Results of Tajikistan’s chairmanship in the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

According to this indicator, Kazakhstan firmly holds the position of leader in Central Asia, the closest pursuers are three or more times behind, the Profile reports. Uzbekistan ranks second, with more than a thousand such schools, and Kyrgyzstan is third with 751 Russian schools.

According to official statistics, more than fifteen percent of Russians live in Kazakhstan, this is the second most common nationality in the country. And therefore the popularity of Russian schools is not surprising.

Earlier, the President of Kazakhstan Kassymzhomart Tokayev noted that the Russian language and its study remain very important for Kazakhstan. According to him, Kazakhs should know Russian well due to the geographical location of the country.

A source: https://e-cis.info/news/568/111072/

Сообщение Kazakhstan retains leadership in Central Asia in the number of Russian schools появились сначала на embassylife.ru.