ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Russia Vladimir Putin adopted a joint statement on May 28 outlining seven key pillars of bilateral friendship and cooperation amid growing global instability and geopolitical challenges, Akorda reported.
The leaders described the shared border between the two countries as a symbol of trust and economic connectivity, stressing the importance of cross-border trade, environmental cooperation, transport links, and joint management of water and Caspian Sea issues.
Both countries pledged to deepen trade, investment, and industrial cooperation, expand the use of national currencies, and coordinate efforts to mitigate the impact of external economic pressures.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Vladimir Putin after adopting a joint statement on Kazakhstan–Russia cooperation. Photo credit: Akorda.
The statement highlighted the importance of preserving cultural heritage, supporting multilingualism, promoting the Russian and Kazakh languages, and protecting traditional spiritual and moral values.
Kazakhstan and Russia underscored the role of young people in future bilateral relations through academic exchanges, joint educational projects, scientific cooperation, and the promotion of sports and healthy lifestyles.
The two countries expressed their intention to strengthen a long-term strategic partnership through dialogue, technological development, environmental cooperation, and joint efforts to improve economic resilience and quality of life.
Kazakhstan and Russia advance $30 billion trade goal with expanded economic and infrastructure cooperation
The Presidents signed a wide-ranging package of intergovernmental agreements, strengthening Kazakhstan-Russia cooperation in energy, transport, finance, education, and industrial development, as both sides reiterated their goal of raising bilateral trade to $30 billion.
According to Tokayev, Russia remains the largest foreign investor in Kazakhstan, with direct investment exceeding $29 billion, while Kazakh investment in Russia totals $9 billion. More than 20,000 Russian capital companies operate in Kazakhstan.
Freight transport between the two countries reached 92 million tons last year, reflecting nearly 3.5% growth. The sides continue to develop the North-South and East-West transport corridors and have launched unmanned cargo transportation between Astana and Moscow, reducing delivery time by more than half along a 3,000-kilometer route.
The leaders were presented with a portfolio of 177 joint industrial projects worth $52.7 billion, expected to create more than 60,000 jobs across metallurgy, petrochemicals, engineering, construction materials, and chemical production.
Key agreements cover nuclear energy cooperation, including the Balkhash nuclear power plant project, expansion of oil sector collaboration, and the establishment of the Sirius educational and talent centers. Additional documents include a currency swap agreement between the central banks, as well as memorandums on financial cooperation, transport digitalization, nuclear safety for 2026-2030, healthcare oversight, and anti-money laundering measures.
Putin said bilateral trade reached nearly $29 billion last year and expressed confidence that the $30 billion milestone would soon be surpassed. The leaders also highlighted cooperation in space through the Baiterek project at Baikonur, designed for Soyuz-5/Sunkar launches.
