As of May 2009, Russia and Kazakhstan have signed a total of 335 mutual treaties and agreements.
In 1997, Russia and Kazakhstan launched the Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation, with its joint commission for the Baikonur space centre and commissions for military technical, inter-bank, investment, transport and cross-border partnership. Russia-Kazakh cross-border and interregional links are expanding as well, with trade between specific regions within the two countries' accounting for 70% of the Russian-Kazakh trade turnover.
The two countries maintain close political ties at the highest level. President Dmitry Medvedev's visits to Kazakhstan since taking the office in May 2008 include the state and working visits to Astana on May 22-23 and July 5-6, 2008 respectively, as well as attending the Russian-Kazakh border region forum in Aktyubinsk on September 22 and an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Borovoye on December 21-23. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has attended three multilateral events held in Russia, including an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in St. Petersburg on June 6, 2008.
In the October of 2008, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the Kazakh city of Astana to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. In the January of 2009, Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov attended the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) in Moscow. In March, Kazakh Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin visited Moscow, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Kazakhstan attending the 7th meeting of the foreign ministers of Asian Cooperation Dialogue member states on October 15-17 and the "Common World: Progress through Diversity" conference of European and Muslim countries.
Russia and Kazakhstan have taken the initiative in boosting integration in the post-Soviet countries through the Eurasian Economic Community and Collective Security Treaty Organization. They maintain close contacts with the SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia. The two countries also coordinate mutual activities in the United Nations and other international organizations.
The two countries' close views on major international and regional issues fuel their partnership on the international scene and their mutual activities within the UN, its institutions, the OSCE and other international fora.
Russia and Kazakhstan have also maintained a partnership in the space industry, with Russia's lease of the Kazakhstan-based Baikonur space centre extended through 2050. According to the intergovernmental agreements, the two countries are co-developing the projects of the Bayterek Space Launch System and Kazakhstan's first communications satellite KazSat at the space centre.
Ties in culture, science, education and sports are also expanding, with the program for cooperation in the humanities scheduled for 2007-2009 and Russia's Ministry of Education and Science granting a quota for 102 seats for fellow countrymen from Kazakhstan this year for studying in Russian educational institutions.
The Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan was initiated in Astana in June of 2004, while the Consulate General of Russia in Kazakhstan was opened in Almaty, along with a consulate in the city of Uralsk as well. Along with the Embassy in Moscow, Kazakhstan also has its Consulate General in St. Petersburg and consulates in the cities of Astrakhan and Omsk.
The Russian Ambassador to Kazakhstan is Mikhail Bocharnikov.
The Kazakh Ambassador to Russia is Adilbek Dzhaksybekov.