Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement at a joint news conference following talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev, Moscow, October 22, 2025
22 October 2025 15:37
1750-22-10-2025
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have held candid and constructive talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev.
This official visit by my counterpart is the first official visit in his new capacity. I believe this re-affirms the special nature of our relationship of alliance and strategic partnership.
Mr Kosherbayev is quite familiar with modern-day Russia: from 2020 to 2023, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Russia. We have always valued his personal contribution to promoting allied ties. There is no doubt that under his leadership, Kazakhstan's foreign ministry will continue to make a weighty contribution to strengthening and promoting comprehensive Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation.
We placed special emphasis on preparations for a state visit by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the Russian Federation on November 12. A year ago, in November 2024, President Putin paid a state visit to Astana. Over the past twelve months, the leaders have met in person several times, including in Moscow during the celebrations of Victory and on the sidelines of international events in Belarus, China, and Tajikistan. They hold telephone conversations almost monthly, if not more often.
The leaders' diplomacy sets the tone for Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation dynamics. Today, Mr Kosherbayev and I discussed the current state and prospects of our partnership. We examined in detail the implementation of the respective presidential instructions to expand cooperation in trade, the economy, science and technology, culture, and the humanitarian sphere. We noted the special role of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the administrative units of the Republic of Kazakhstan. We welcomed, in particular, the upcoming 21st Forum of Interregional Cooperation in Uralsk, Kazakhstan, on November 12.
Russia is among Kazakhstan's leading trading partners and the largest investor in its economy. Much attention is paid to promoting energy security through joint projects in thermal and hydropower. We welcomed the decision made in June to choose the Russian state corporation Rosatom as the leader of an international consortium for the construction of Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant. I reaffirmed our readiness to fulfill all our obligations in this area, fully and on time. Currently, line agencies are working out the technical, financial, and legal parameters of the project.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the legendary Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Russian-Kazakhstani Baiterek project which will contribute to the development of Kazakhstan's national space programme has entered its final phase. Our plans include joint launches of the advanced Soyuz-5 launch vehicle.
We highly praised our cultural and humanitarian ties. We discussed the creation of a network of branches of Russian universities in Kazakhstan and a reciprocal process that started this year. For example, in September, a branch of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University opened its doors to students in Omsk. Work is underway to establish joint schools in Kazakhstan and Russia.
Days of Culture of Kazakhstan, which began in our country on October 10, were warmly welcomed by Russian audiences. The new building of the Tretyakov Gallery is hosting the Masterpieces of Kazakh Art exhibition; Kazakh films are being screened in cinemas, and the Kuanyshbayev Kazakh National Music and Drama Theatre, as well as the ballet company from the Astana Opera, are performing on Russian stages. The celebrations will culminate in a gala concert of Kazakh performing artists on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.
We had a detailed exchange of views on pressing regional and international issues. We noted the consonance and alignment of our approaches to addressing key problems of the modern world. We share a positive assessment of cooperation within such multilateral organisation as the EAEU, the CSTO, the CIS, the SCO, and the UN. We particularly emphasised the fact that our alliance, primarily within the CSTO framework, is an important factor in maintaining stability in Central Asia and ensuring security across the Eurasian continent as a whole.
In this context, we focused on implementing the initiatives advanced by President Vladimir Putin to form a Greater Eurasian Partnership and architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia. We also discussed how existing integration associations and initiatives, including Kazakhstan's initiative to strengthen the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), fit into these processes.
We noted the continuing - and even growing - importance of joint work in the Caspian region. We agreed that the five Caspian states possess unique expertise in addressing issues concerning the Caspian Sea and bear responsibility for sustainable development, peace, and security in the region as enshrined in the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. We consider positive Iran's proposal to hold the 7th Caspian Summit in Tehran on August 12, 2026, which is also marked as Caspian Day.
We also discussed various international issues, including the situation in the Middle East and other hotspots. We informed our Kazakhstani friends about the latest developments in and around Ukraine. We appreciate our Kazakhstani friends' understanding of our principled position, primarily the fact that sustainable settlement is impossible without addressing the core causes of this conflict, which were created over many years by Western countries in their attempts to use Ukraine as a launching pad to undermine the legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation.
Overall, we are satisfied with the outcome of the talks and agreed to continue the constructive and trust-based dialogue.
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