VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Diplomatic relations between Russia and Kazakhstan were established on October 22, 1992. The bilateral links and partnership are regulated by a vast legal base, with over 300 agreements signed between the two countries. The key documents are the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance signed on May 25, 1992, and the Declaration on Friendship and Alliance for the 21st Century, signed on July 6, 1998.
The two countries have maintained strong political ties: the year 2007 saw the Russian and Kazakh presidents meeting eight times, while in this year's first six months, they had four meetings.
From May 22-23, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made his first foreign diplomatic visit to the Kazakh capital of Astana, with a joint statement signed and a number of agreements adopted, including those on expanding space partnership.
The two governments' similar views on major international and regional issues serve as a basis for international cooperation between them, including activities within the United Nations and its institutions, as well as OSCE and various international forums. Russia and Kazakhstan promote cooperation in foreign policy as well.
The countries have been coordinating their actions in negotiations concerning the status of the Caspian Sea. In July 1998, the countries signed the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Seabed of the Northern Part of the Caspian Sea for the Purposes of Exercising Their Sovereign Rights to the Exploitation of its Subsoil. In May 2002, the countries signed the Protocol on the Agreement, which determined the medial line of the Sea, as well as the delimitation of national sectors and the terms of mutual exploration of oil and gas reserves across the line. On January 25, 2006, Russia and Kazakhstan's presidents signed the Protocol on introducing changes to the Protocol adopted in 2002.
Also expanding are the links in culture, science, education and sports, with the adoption Program for Social Partnership in 2007-2010. In 2006, the countries initiated events as part of the Year of Abai in Russia and the Year of Pushkin in Kazakhstan.
On January 18, 2005 Russian and Kazakh presidents signed a treaty regulating Russia's state border with Kazakhstan, which stretches over 7,500 kilometers. In January 2006, the countries exchanged treaty ratification documents, with the work on the border demarcation being implemented by a joint commission.
Russia and Kazakhstan have been cooperating within the CIS, as well as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
The Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan was launched in Astana in June of 2004, while the Consulate General of Russia in Kazakhstan was opened in Almaty. Along with the Embassy in Moscow, Kazakhstan also has its Consulate General in St. Petersburg and consulates in the cities of Astrakhan and Omsk.
