Russian ambassador shares his thoughts on Moscow-Astana partnership
Russia considers Kazakhstan its close ally, Russian Ambassador to the country Alexey Borodavkin said in an interview with “Izvestiya” newspaper. The diplomat also shared his vision of the prospects of development of Astana-Moscow relations in the future, Kazinform News Agency reports.
Putin's November visit to Astana
In the interview, Ambassador Borodavkin called Vladimir Putin’s Nov.9 visit to Kazakhstan ‘historical’, to say the least. This, according to him, is evidenced by a hefty package of documents signed by the sides following the summit. One of them being the Joint communique dated to the 10th anniversary of signing of the Treaty on good neighborliness and alliance between Kazakhstan and Russia in the 21st century and the Joint Action Plan of the Russia Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2024-2026. Utmost attention should be paid to the interviews of the presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia published on the eve of the visit by “Izvestiya” and “Kazakhstanskaya Pravda” newspapers. They set the tone of bilateral contacts at the highest level and raised public awareness regarding positive dynamics of the Kazakh-Russian allied relations and integration ties.
The Russian diplomat highlighted three aspects outlined by Vladimir Putin signaling Russia's aspiration to cement brotherly ties between the countries.
First and foremost, according to Borodavkin, Astana and Moscow’s partnership is based on the principles of equal rights, mutual respect, recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs. Secondly, Russia considers Kazakhstan not only ‘its ally, but, it fact, its close ally’. Thirdly, the leaders of our countries have established 'indeed, friendly and close relations' ensuring favorable environment for steady development of allied and integration ties between Kazakhstan and Russia.
How anti-Russian sanctions affected bilateral relations
Ambassador Borodavkin believes that the imposed western sanctions had had little effect on the development of integration ties and trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia.
He reminded that last year Kazakhstan-Russia two-way trade had reached a record ₽1.8 trillion. In January-September 2023, the volume of mutual trade increased by 17 per cent and amounted to ₽1.5 trillion, compared to analogous period of 2022.
The Russian diplomat also commended recent diversification of trade structure with the focus on innovative sectors.
Borodavkin pointed out keen interest of the Russian business in implementing projects in the territory of Kazakhstan. Unlike western investors interested in Kazakhstan’s fuel and energy complex, Russian business is represented in all sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy.
In his words, investments of the Russian companies into Kazakhstan’s economy have exceeded $50 billion. Moreover, the Russian ambassador believes they will continue to grow. For instance, in the past six months Russian’s investments into Kazakhstan have seen a 20 per cent increase or grown by $1.1 billion.
There are over 18,000 enterprises with Russian capital working in Kazakhstan and over 4,000 joint ventures with the participation of Kazakhstani partners. Business structures of Kazakhstan and Russia continue to launch mutually beneficial projects. One of the largest projects is the gasification of the northeastern regions of Kazakhstan, reverse gas deliveries to Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan via the Central Asia—Centre pipeline, expanding the use of the Trans-Caspian Pipeline Consortium to ensure steady transportation of Kazakhstani oil overseas, building deliveries of Kazakhstani gas to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline, development of oilfields in the Kazakh part of the Caspian Sea shelf, including Kalamkas-Sea, Auezov, and Khazar by LUKOIL, development of the Baiterek space rocket complex in Kazakhstan and participation of Russia’s Sibur and Tatneft in the establishment of an oil and petrochemicals cluster in western Kazakhstan.
The development of interdepartmental programs in the sphere of industrial and scientific-technological cooperation plays undoubtedly an important role. The process embarked on a new level incorporating Kazakhstani enterprises into Russia’s production chains. Among the focus projects with the participation of Russian capital are assembly and maintenance of light vehicles, freight transportation and agricultural engineering (AvtoVAZ, GAZ, KAMAZ, Rostselmash, St. Peterburg Tractor Plant), lubricant refining (LUKOIL), production of tubular goods that used in oil and gas industry (TMK), rolled metal products production (Evraz Group), production of railway components (Transmashholding), and assembly and maintenance of helicopters (Helicopters of Russia).
Promising areas of cooperation
Russia’s Tver Carriage Works will soon deliver 100 passenger carriages for Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, Technonikol company will localize its production in Almaty region, and Russia’s Geropharm will produce analog insulin at the Karaganda pharmaceuticals plant. The countries will develop joint fertilizer production projects with the participation of Uralkhim and Evrokhim.
Notably, the Russia-Kazakhstan transport and logistics partnership also forges ahead focusing on the development of the North-South international transport corridor, modernization of Kazakhstan-Russia state border checkpoints, and digitalization of the railway and road freight transport. One of the promising projects is the participation of RZD (Russian Railways) in building the Ayagoz-Bakhty railroad.
Kazakhstan and Russia widen peaceful nuclear development cooperation. If the decision of the nationwide referendum on the construction of the nuclear power station is positive Rosatom State Corporation is ready to develop this important project on conditions comfortable for all partners with an accent on ensuring safe and smooth operation of the nuclear power station.
Despite unprecedented anti-Russian sanctions on the banks and finance sector, Kazakhstan’s affiliate of VTB holds strong positions in the local market. The payment system between the Russian and Kazakhstani contract partners is being improved highlighting the maintenance of mutual payments in national currencies that already hit 75%.
Russia’s digital services such as Yandex, Wildberries, and Ozon are popular with the population and business community.
The Russian-Kazakh investment portfolio has 143 projects worth 33.5 billion US dollars at large.
What were the main topics raised at the XIX Interregional Cooperation Forum of Russia and Kazakhstan and what were the results?
The Russian-Kazakh International Cooperation Forum held under the chairmanship of our presidents is one of the most important annual events on the bilateral agenda. This year, it was held in Kostanay and focused on the development of cooperation in agriculture, food security, ensuring and training young professionals in relevant sectors.
Agro-industrial complex gains more importance for the economies of Russia and Kazakhstan, with more than twofold increase in trade in agro-industrial products within the past seven years. As a result, in 2023, this commodity group climbed up from the fifth to the second line in the bilateral commodity exchange, leaving behind such areas as minerals and fuels, chemical industry products and metals, which traditionally dominated in the Russian exports to Kazakhstan.
The heightened interest in the forum is proved by the number and composition of its participants, Nine Russian governors from Altay, Samara, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Kurgan regions arrived in Kostanay this year.
Nine documents were signed during the forum. Among them are the agreements aimed at intensification of the interregional dialogue in trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural-humanitarian spheres, as well as the memorandum of implementation of the project on manufacturing shelf-stable bakery products in the North Kazakhstan region, the memorandum of cooperation in assembly of lifting equipment in Petropavlovsk, the memorandum of cooperation on manufacturing equipment for industrial cooling of milk in Kostanay region, etc.
The Russian ambassador expressed confidence that the agreements concluded at the forum will give an additional impulse to the development of “horizontal” integration ties.
Foreign policy amid current geopolitical situation
“I believe that the best answer will be the evaluation given by the President of Russia during his visit to Astana and regularly given when speaking about Kazakhstan: “Our countries are not just allies, but closest allies,” the Russian diplomat stressed.
The leadership of Kazakhstan adheres to similar policy. At the Nov. 9 Summit, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed: “Russia is a strategic partner and ally of Kazakhstan.” Moreover, this is a consistent policy Astana adheres to both in the bilateral cooperation, the success of which we have recently marked on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Treaty on good-neighborliness and alliance in the 21st century, and in building its line in multilateral unifications.
Kazakhstan also remains a reliable participant of the CSTO collective security system, constantly confirms its readiness to further contribute to the organization’s strengthening.
“On November 23, during the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in Minsk, President Tokayev outlined priority areas of the program of chairmanship which will be assumed by Astana on January 1, 2024. The theses presented reflect Kazakhstan’s professional approach to the work in this structure. All of this, undoubtedly, serves as the evidence of Kazakhstan’s principal course to pick allies based on national interests and aspirations of its people, and we only welcome it,” Ambassador Borodavkin noted.
The Russian ambassador also believes that in international affairs Kazakhstan relies on pragmatic approach that involves constructive interaction and effective economic cooperation with many stakeholders.
Borodavkin reminded of the evaluation given by President Tokayev of the sanctions policy at the recent session of the CIS Heads of Government Council in Bishkek. He stated that his country, in principle, is against sanctions that have a devastating impact on global trade and countries’ prosperity.
“We adhere to similar position. The Russian leadership constantly speaks on harmfulness of unilateral unlawful restrictions in economy, which negatively affect both the global macroeconomic “health” and people’s well-being on all the continents,” Borodavkin said in conclusion.
