Media statements following Russia-Kazakhstan talks

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Tokayev Kassym-JomartPresident of the Republic of Kazakhstan : Mr Putin,

Members of our delegations.

It is a great honour and privilege for us to receive you in Astana today as part of the state visit by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. For us, this visit has exceptional importance in terms of enhancing the strategic partnership and allied relations between Kazakhstan and Russia.

I would like to start by thanking the President of Russia for the insightful article he published ahead of our meeting. Kazakhstan received it with great interest because it contains many facts and conclusions that can influence in meaningful ways further efforts to expand our cooperation based on the principles of neighbourly relations and mutual respect.

I fully support the idea that our shared responsibility for ensuring stability and promoting development across the Eurasian space serves as the bedrock of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia.

Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for the kind words you used when referring to Kazakhstan and for praising the reforms we are carrying out in our country.

This visit has served as a vivid demonstration that our bilateral cooperation is evolving in meaningful ways. There are objective indicators to support this claim. In fact, our trade is expected to reach $30 billion. In terms of investment in our economy, Russia has outpaced all other countries. There are 177 projects on the list of promising economic cooperation initiatives, and 122 of them have entered their operational cycle, which means that they have been implemented.

Kazakhstan treasures the bonds of eternal friendship and strategic partnership it has forged with Russia. We have always viewed and will always view Russia as a great Eurasian power with a rich historical past and immense potential for future development. Even today, despite all the challenges related to sanctions, Russia has the fourth largest economy in the world and is the biggest European economy by purchasing power parity, according to data from leading international financial institutions.

Last year, Russia's nominal GDP exceeded $2.5 trillion. What an impressive result. With its boundless natural recourses, engineering and academic talent, and a skilled workforce, Russia will never forego its global economic leadership and is therefore destined to play a major role on the international geopolitical stage.

To be continued.