Presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia sign statement on Seven Foundations of Friendship between peoples and number of new agreements

Following talks between the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Vladimir Putin, in Astana, a number of new agreements were signed, including a joint statement on the Seven Foundations of Friendship and Neighbourliness between the peoples of Kazakhstan and Russia, an agreement on the terms of cooperation for the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan, and a roadmap for cooperation in the development of transport digitalisation. This was reported on the official website of the President of Kazakhstan.

Following the official welcoming ceremony for the Russian leader at the Palace of Independence, the presidents held talks in both narrow and expanded formats with the participation of members of the delegations. One of the first documents signed was the joint statement on the Seven Foundations concerning the strategic partnership and allied relations between Russia and Kazakhstan. According to the website of the President of Kazakhstan, the document identifies shared borders, economic partnership, linguistic and cultural diversity as a common heritage, shared history, youth cooperation, educational exchanges, and other unifying factors among these foundations.

Photo: Kremlin website

“The very word ‘Seven’ is a very good word, a good number. ‘Foundations’ even more so. And the document itself is highly original. […] I personally worked on this document and introduced amendments. I believe it will become part of the chronicle of cooperation between our countries and will carry great significance,” Tokayev said.

The Kazakh leader separately highlighted the signing of agreements on the construction of the country’s first NPP and thanked his Russian counterpart for supporting the project.

“As part of the visit, agreements on the parameters for the creation of the NPP have been approved [...] The commissioning of the plant will make a significant contribution to the energy supply of the Kazakh economy and help provide enterprises and households with affordable and clean energy. […] Companies from the two countries are implementing a number of major projects in the automotive industry, agricultural machinery manufacturing and mineral fertiliser production, while partnership in the extraction of rare earth metals such as tungsten, molybdenum and lithium is being strengthened. Russia and Kazakhstan are jointly developing key Eurasian transport and logistics corridors and routes, increasing the capacity of border crossings, and expanding mutual rail, water and air transportation, and have launched the innovative ‘Unmanned Freight Transport Line’ project between the two countries,” Putin noted, according to a statement published on the Kremlin website.

Photo: Kremlin website

The leaders of Kazakhstan and Russia were shown the launch of the unmanned freight transport route “Astana – Moscow”, according to the website of the President of Kazakhstan. For the first time in global practice, freight vehicles operating in this format covered a route of around 3,000 kilometres, reducing travel time by more than half. Thanks to the use of new technologies, the route was completed in two days.

The presidents and members of the delegations also watched videos about the reintroduction of Amur tigers brought from Russia to Kazakhstan. Four tigers were released in the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve.

In addition, the presidents gave a symbolic start to the construction of a centre for gifted children in Astana. The ceremony for laying the time capsule took place online with the participation of the heads of state.

“A substantial package of intergovernmental, interdepartmental and commercial agreements has also been prepared, covering all areas of cooperation from the economy and energy to cultural and humanitarian projects. I am confident that all of this will not only be adopted but will also form the basis for strengthening the foundation of our cooperation. […] Promising areas of cooperation are being outlined, which will undoubtedly produce very positive results,” the Russian president stressed.

The presidents were also presented with a number of trade and economic projects, according to Kazinform, a partner of TV BRICS. At present, the portfolio of industrial cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia includes 177 joint projects worth a total of US$52.7 billion, creating more than 60,000 jobs. The projects are being successfully implemented in metallurgy, petrochemicals and mechanical engineering.

At the end of the day, the heads of state will take part in the events of the V Eurasian Economic Forum, which has begun in Astana, and on 29 May they will participate in the summit of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Around 3,000 delegates from 44 countries are taking part in the forum.