ASTANA – On November 21 in Astana, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a joint declaration elevating relations between the two countries to the level of strategic partnership.
“This decision will strengthen the friendship between our nations and open a new stage of multidimensional cooperation,” President Tokayev said during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Pashinyan.
The two countries agreed to increase bilateral trade volumes and take concrete measures to broaden the range of traded goods.
“To increase bilateral trade, Kazakhstan is ready to offer goods worth a total of 350 million dollars to the Armenian market,” Tokayev stated.
The president also expressed his country’s support for Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” initiative, as well as interest in participating in the TRIPP project.
“The new geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus creates favorable conditions for expanding bilateral and interregional ties. Kazakhstan supports Armenia’s ‘Crossroads of Peace’ initiative. We also confirm our interest in participating in the TRIPP project. The integration of these strategic corridors with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and the North–South corridor aligns with the interests of both countries,” Tokayev said.
He also noted the political and economic importance of railway freight shipments from Kazakhstan to Armenia via Azerbaijan.
“Kazakhstan is ready to supply Armenia with high-quality grain products and other goods on a regular basis. One of the priorities is establishing direct flights and organizing air cargo transportation between the two countries. Concrete plans already exist, and the sides will begin implementing them soon,” he added.
Tokayev also announced that next year a new branch of Armenia’s international educational center—TUMO Astana—will open at the Alem.ai center in Kazakhstan.
Speaking about Prime Minister Pashinyan, Tokayev said: “Armenia’s Prime Minister is known in the international community as a strong leader, a visionary politician, and an exceptional statesman.” He awarded Pashinyan Kazakhstan’s highest honor, the Golden Eagle order.
