Russia-Kazakhstan
Diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan were established on October 22, 1992. Bilateral relations and cooperation rest on a framework of solid international treaty (more than 300 treaties and agreements have been signed).
The foundation of this framework are the following documents – Treaty on Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance of May 25, 1992; Declaration on Eternal Friendship and Alliance aimed for the XXI century of July 6, 1998. In the course of the official visit of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to Kazakhstan on July 7, 2012, the Protocol on Amendments to the Treaty on Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance of May 25, 1992 was signed (ratified by the parties in June 2013).
Intensive political contacts, primarily summit contacts between the two countries have been actively sustained. 15 summits and high-level meetings took place in 2012 (9 presidential summits, and 6 – prime-minister meetings).
The meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, S.V.Lavrov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kazakhstan, E.A.Idrisov, was held within the context of the latter’s official visit to Moscow on January 25, 2013.
On February 8, 2013 the meeting between the President of the Russian Federation, V.V.Putin, and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, N.A.Nazarbayev, was held within the context of N.A.Nazarbayev’s working visit to Moscow.
On May 29, 2013 the meeting between the President of the Russian Federation, V.V.Putin, and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, N.A.Nazarbayev, took place on the sidelines of the highest-level session of Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Astana.
On May, 31 2013 talks between the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, D.A.Medvedev, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, S.N.Akhmetov, took place within the framework of the Council of Heads of CIS States.
On July 7, 2013 the meeting of the President of the Russian Federation, V.V.Putin, and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, N.A.Nazarbayev, was held as part of the Russian President’s working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Summits are held in the course of official CIS arrangements and other integration frameworks. Phone conversations between the leaders of the two countries are held on a regular basis. Contacts have been sustained at the highest level as well as at the level of heads of executive authorities.
Accord between, or similarity of Russian and Kazakhstani standing on major international and regional problems creates a solid basis for international cooperation, including at the United Nations and its specialized bodies, OSCE and other international forums. There is close interrelation of the foreign services of the two countries.
Parliamentary contacts are permanently sustained.
In 2012, 5 meetings of Chairmen of Chambers of Parliaments of Russia and Kazakhstan were held. Parliamentary contacts between the two countries have been actively sustained in the current year.
On April 10-12, 2013 talks were held between the Chairman of the Federal Assembly State Duma of the Russian Federation, S.E.Naryshkin, and the Chairman of Mazhilis of the Parliament of Republic of Kazakhstan, N.S.Nigmatulin, on “the side-lines” of PA CSTO, IPA CIS and IPA EurAsES.
On the 17th of June 2013 at the time of the official visit of the Chairman of Mazhilis of the Parliament of Republic of Kazakhstan, N.S.Nigmatulin, to Moscow he met with the Chairperson of Federation Council of Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, V.I.Matviyenko, and the Chairman of the Federal Assembly State Duma of the Russian Federation, S.E.Naryshkin.
Bilateral relations with Kazakhstan in the sphere of economy rest on the basis of the Economic Co-operation Program for 2012-2020, signed on November 25, 2011 in Astana.
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the volume of mutual trade for 2012 increased by 8.5% compared to 2011, and reached 22.4 billion USD. Russian supplies increased by 3.3% (up to 14.6 billion USD), whereas import from Kazakhstan grew by 19.6% (up to 7.9 billion USD).
Within the period of January-July 2013 the volume of mutual trade increased by 18.8% reaching the figure of 13.1 billion USD, as compared to the corresponding period of 2012. Russian supplies increased by 12.6% (up to 7.9 billion USD), whereas import from Kazakhstan increased by 29.7% (up to 5.2 billion USD).
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service statistics of 2012/January-July2013, the majority of Russia’s supply structure to Kazakhstan consisted of mineral products 38.6% / 37.0%; machines and equipment, vehicles, instruments and devices – 19.6%/ 21.0%; metals and metal articles – 16.1% / 15.3%; products of chemical industry and related industrial branches – 9.7% / 10.2%; phytogenic and zoogenic products, food products – 8.0% / 8.2%. These groups of goods made up 90.6% of the total supply volume from Russia to Kazakhstan in 2012.
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service statistics of 2012/January-July2013, Kazakhstan’s export structure to Russia consisted of mineral products 26.3% / 26.0%; machines and equipment, vehicles, instruments and devices – 32.1% / 31.6%; metals and metal articles – 14.0% / 14.5%; products of chemical industry and related industrial branches – 8.7% / 8.8%; textiles, textile articles and shoes – 11.8% / 12%. These groups of goods made up 97.6% of the total import volume from Kazakhstan to Russia in 2012.
On December 19, 2012 in Moscow, the Presidents of the two countries signed the Joint Operating Plan for Russia and Kazakhstan for the Years 2012-2015, a strategic document, determining key tasks of bilateral co-operation.
The highest focus area of economic co-operation is the fuel and energy sector. Co-operation in the following spheres is being successfully promoted: the sphere of electric-power industry (power systems of Russia and Kazakhstan are operating in a parallel mode) and nuclear power industry (joint uranium mining in Kazakhstan), oil and gas industry (export transit of Kazakhstani oil through the Russian territory, purchasing and marketing of Kazakhstani natural gas for supplies to other countries’ markets, implementation of joint projects on hydrocarbon resources development in North Caspian Sea).
Co-operation is being carried out in the sphere of space exploration. Russia holds a lease on the Baikonur space-launch complex, located in Kazakhstan. In January 2004 the lease term was extended to 2050. The Kazakh space missile system “Baiterek” is being constructed at the “Baikonur” space-launch complex on the basis of bilateral intergovernmental agreements signed in 2004 and 2005. The intergovernmental committee on the “Baikonur” space-launch complex is in action headed by Deputy Government leaders of both countries, I.I.Shuvalov and K.N.Kelimbetov.
Russia and Kazakhstan cooperate in the military and military-technical spheres. Russia provides supplies of Russian-manufactured weapons to Kazakhstan, as well as assistance in maintenance and upgrade of Kazakhstani military hardware. Russia has a lease on 4 military testing grounds located in Kazakhstan (test sites Emba and Sary-Shagan, military objects and battlefields of the 4th State Central Testing Ground, State Flight Test Centre # 929). Kazakhstani military personnel receive training in Russian military training schools.
Russia and Kazakhstan cooperate within the framework of negotiation process between Caspian bordering countries on the issue of settling the legal status of the Caspian Sea. In July 1998 the parties signed an Agreement on delimiting the northern part of the Caspian Sea aimed at exercising sovereign power over subsurface resource management.
On January 25, 2006, the Presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan signed a Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol on the Russia-Kazakhstan Agreement on delimiting the northern part of the Caspian Sea aimed at exercising sovereign power over subsurface resource management, of July 6, 1998.
Annual top-level forums for interregional co-operation between Russia and Kazakhstan have become traditional. The latest IXth Forum was held on September 19, 2012 in Pavlodar (Republic of Kazakhstan). The topic of the Forum was “Knowledge-based Co-operation”. The Xth milestone Forum is planned for October 2013 in Yekaterinburg.
The Russia-Kazakhstan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee (ICC) has been in action since 1997. The 16th conference of the ICC was held in Moscow on December 17-18, 2012.
Sub-committees for the Baikonur Space Ground, trans-frontier cooperation, interbank and investments cooperation, military-technical cooperation, transport, Fuel and Energy Complex, science and technology cooperation have been in action within a framework of the ICC.
Delimitation of the border between Russia and Kazakhstan has been completed (total extent is over 7.5 thousand kilometers). On January 18, 2005, the Heads of both states signed the Russia-Kazakhstan State Border Treaty. Work on border demarcation is currently in progress; about 45% of the state border total extent has been demarcated on the ground.
Co-operation between Russia and Kazakhstan is effective along the lines of CIS and other integration units – CSTO, EurAsES, SCO and CICMA. Since 2010 Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have been a part of the Customs Union. A Common Free Market Zone has been in effect since January 1, 2012, which provides an additional boost to more extensive integration processes within the former Soviet Union.
A goal has been set towards forming the Eurasian Economic Unit: in November 2011, the Presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed the Declaration on Eurasian Economic Integration, The Treaty on Eurasian Economic Committee, and adopted its Procedure, Rules and Regulations.
The Russian Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan (transferred from Almaty) has been in operation since June, 2004. Russian consulates general have been opened in Almaty, Uralsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Alongside its Embassy in Moscow, Kazakhstan has a consulate general in St. Petersburg and consulates in Astrakhan and Omsk. A Kazakhstani consulate general was opened in Kazan in 2013.
