Kazakh-Russian partnership based on mutual respect and recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity - Putin
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin is set to pay a working visit to Kazakhstan on November 9. The leaders of the two countries will discuss the current issues of the Kazakh-Russian strategic partnership development and will also take part in the regular Forum of Interregional Cooperation. Ahead of the visit, Vladimir Putin spoke about the Kazakh-Russian bilateral relations development in an interview with Kazakhstanskaya Pravda.
Indeed, Russia – Kazakhstan partnership is of a particularly privileged nature and is actively developing. It is based on the principles of mutual respect, recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs. This is confirmed, among other things, by an extensive database of documents (more than 350) regulating relations between our countries, Vladimir Putin says.
The Russian President noted that mutual trade turnover is growing at a good pace. Last year it increased by 10.2 percent to a record $28.2 billion, and in January-August of this year it added another 7.6 percent to $18.9 billion.
Vladimir Putin highlighted Russia had been one of the largest investors in the Kazakh economy. The accumulated volume of Russian investments in Kazakhstan amount to about $17 billion with as many as 6 thousand enterprises with Russian participation operating across the republic.
As for Kazakhstan, Russia is ready to help in the gasification of its northern and eastern regions in accordance with the road map for cooperation in the gas sector signed on January 18 of this year by Gazprom and the Government of Kazakhstan. Currently, various options for debugging the relevant gas transportation infrastructure are being studied.
Among the latest agreements is the strategic cooperation agreement signed on November 1, 2023 on the margin of the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum by the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar, aimed at geological gas exploration, production, processing, supply and transportation.
The Russian President also touched upon the issue of construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan.
If the decision to implement this project is made, Rosatom State Corporation is ready to develop a corresponding project using the most advanced technologies, in compliance with the highest environmental requirements and safety standards. This will increase the energy supply of the Kazakhstan economy and give a powerful impetus to the socio-economic development of the country, he said.
He also commented on the upcoming 19th Interregional Cooperation Forum themed as “Agriculture – Basis of Strong Economy.” The participants will discuss the acute issues of food security, application of digital technologies in agro-industrial sector, and young professionals training.
He noted that a solid package of interregional agreements and, very importantly, commercial contracts would be signed during the forum.
Mutually beneficial agreements between our entrepreneurs are one of the main indicators of successful business interaction. We will strive to make maximum use of the advantages of complementarity and connectivity of our economies to increase the competitiveness of Russian and Kazakh manufacturers’ goods, including in the markets of third countries, Vladimir Putin noted.
The Russian leader also expressed hope over the priorities of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO in 2023-2024 aimed at raising the Organization’s authority and influence at the international arena. According to him, serious attention should be given to the implementation of the measures taken at the highest level on improvement of the SCO activity to adapt it to modern realities and enhance the practical impact of joint measures.
At the end of the interview, Vladimir Putin spoke about the relations with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
I often say that we have established truly friendly, close relations with Kassym-Zhomart Kemelevich. We are people of the same generation and equally feel full responsibility for our states. We are doing everything possible to provide a favorable environment for their confident development and prosperity, to improve the quality of life of our citizens.The main thing is that our peoples have always been and remain good neighbors and true friends. I am convinced that by strengthening the invaluable traditions of trust, mutual understanding and multifaceted successful cooperation, we will successfully implement an advanced model of interstate communication, which can be set as an example for others. Therefore, no matter what the situation is in the world, I look with confidence into the future of our allied relations and integration partnership.
