Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived in Russia on an official visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The presidential plane landed at Vnukovo-2 airport on Wednesday morning.
This is Tokayev’s first foreign visit since he took office on March 20. A guard of honor was lined up on the airfield. A military band played the state anthems of the two countries. Tokayev was welcomed by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, Kazakhstan’s ambassador in Moscow Imangali Tasmagambetov, Russian ambassador to Kazakhstan Alexei Borodavkin and the Russian Foreign Ministry’s chief of protocol Igor Bogdashev.
The Kremlin’s press-service said the two leaders would discuss bilateral relations, integration in the Eurasian space and the regional agenda.
Tokayev’s press-service said the agenda included bilateral cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, culture and the humanitarian spheres and crucial regional and international issues. A number of bilateral documents are to be signed.
Kazakhstan’s first president Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped down on March 19. The next day Tokayev, the former head of the Senate (upper house of parliament) was sworn in and took office as Kazakhstan’s president.