Kazakh Head of State Tokayev greeted by Russian President Putin in St. Petersburg

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Montenegro Daulet Batrashev held talks with the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, during which the current state of parliamentary relations between Kazakhstan and Montenegro was discussed and the need to activate inter-parliamentary cooperation was noted, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

The Montenegrin politician expressed readiness to establish a parliamentary friendship group with Kazakhstan and invited his colleague, the Speaker of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Erlan Koshanov, to visit Montenegro at a time convenient for the Kazakh side, with the dates to be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.

In his turn, the Kazakh diplomat informed his interlocutor about the domestic political situation in Kazakhstan, including the implementation of large-scale political reforms initiated by the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and plans on transition to a unicameral Parliament.

In addition, D. Batrashev held a series of meetings during his working visit with the aim of further developing cooperation with Montenegro.

In particular, during negotiations with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Perish Kastratovich, and the Advisor of the President of Montenegro on International Affairs, Irena Prelevich, the interlocutors discussed in detail the current state and prospects for the development of bilateral relations, paying special attention to strengthening political dialogue, namely the issue of organizing the first-ever visit of the President of Montenegro to Kazakhstan, the possibility of resuming political consultations, as well as establishing a diplomatic mission of Montenegro in Astana. The Montenegrin side noted the importance of organizing a visit of their head of state to Central Asian countries in general, and to Astana in particular, following which the parties discussed specific details and the timing of the upcoming visit next year, as well as reviewed the list of documents for possible signing.

There was also an exchange of views on a number of pressing issues on the regional and global agenda, as well as cooperation between the two countries within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and mutual support for each other's candidacies in the elected bodies of international organizations.

The prospects for developing bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism, including increasing tourist flows, developing air connections, and optimizing visa procedures, were discussed at a meeting with the State Secretary of the line ministry, Petar Drašković. The parties agreed to consider the possibility of signing a bilateral document on cooperation in tourism.

Possibilities for enhancing cooperation in the field of legal assistance and criminal proceedings, as well as sharing experiences between the relevant authorities, were discussed with the Director General for Criminal and Civil Law of the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, Jelena Grdnič.

During the meeting with the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, Nina Drakic, the parties discussed the current state of business cooperation and the possibility of organizing a visit of Montenegrin business representatives to Kazakhstan during the upcoming visit of the President of Montenegro, the organization of a business forum for Kazakh and Montenegrin entrepreneurs, and the holding a tourism exhibition for Kazakhstanis.

Priority areas of cooperation such as energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, tourism, and information technologies were identified.

The Ambassador presented and proposed to the Montenegrin side a wide range of agricultural products for potential future export to Montenegro.

 

Ambassador of Kazakhstan Nurgali Arystanov met with the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Mafalda Duarte, on the margins of the regular meeting of the GCF Friends Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the meeting, the interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation in the field of environment. They also discussed the outcomes of M.Duarte’s visit to Kazakhstan last May, during which the Executive Director was received by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and visited the solar power plant in the city of Saran.

The Kazakh diplomat handed over to M.Duarte an official invitation from the Head of State to participate in the Regional Climate Summit, which will take place in April 2026 in Astana with the support of United Nations agencies.

M.Duarte emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan to achieve common goals in environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

The sides agreed to continue their dialogue to further strengthen cooperation. It is worth noting that Kazakhstan’s engagement with the GCF covers five projects amounting to 216.5 million US dollars.

 

Following the talks in Astana, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian made a Joint Statement, Qazinform News Agency learnt from the Akorda press service.

Alongside the Joint Statement, the following intergovernmental documents were in the presence of the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Iran.

Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Iran on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

Protocol amending the Agreement between the Governments of Kazakhstan and Iran on international road transport of passengers and goods.

Cooperation program between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and Iran.

Cultural exchange program between the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran for 2026-2028.

Memorandum of Understanding on intellectual property cooperation between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice and Iran’s State Organization for Registration of Deeds and Properties.

Memorandum of Understanding on strategic cooperation in transport, transit, and logistics between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport and Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

Memorandum of Understanding on healthcare cooperation between the Ministries of Healthcare of Kazakhstan and Iran.

Memorandum of Understanding on media cooperation between Kazakh President's TV and Radio Complex and Iran’s Broadcasting Organization.

 

During his working visit to Konya province, Ambassador Yerkebulan Sapiyev held a series of meetings aimed at expanding Kazakhstan’s investment cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the visit, the Ambassador met with Mustafa Büyükeğen, Chairman of the Konya Chamber of Industry, and discussed the current state of bilateral economic relations, the potential for increasing mutual investments, as well as the prospects for industrial cooperation between the regions of Kazakhstan and Konya. Particular attention was paid to cooperation opportunities in the processing of agricultural products, food and chemical production, machinery manufacturing, and the textile industry.

Additionally, the delegation visited several major enterprises in Konya and held talks with company management on establishing production in Kazakhstan, utilizing the advantages of industrial zones, as well as investor support mechanisms - tax incentives, export-oriented production development programs, and the opportunities of the Astana International Financial Center.

The Kazakh side presented information on the country’s favorable investment climate and transport-logistical capabilities, and proposed considering the possibility of opening joint ventures.

 

A scientific and practical conference entitled “Human Rights and the Development of the Penitentiary System: National Priorities and International Standards” was held on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day and the 77th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The event was organized by the Commissioner for Human Rights in cooperation with UNDP Kazakhstan, the Council of Europe, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

The conference discussed strategic and pressing issues related to ensuring human rights in places of deprivation of liberty, developing systems for the resocialization of convicted persons, as well as strengthening cooperation between state bodies, international organizations and the human rights community.

In his welcoming remarks, Commissioner for Human Rights Artur Lastayev underlined that Kazakhstan continues its consistent efforts to humanize the penal system. He noted that the human rights protection must be ensured even beyond the walls of correctional institutions, and that a humane, rehabilitation-oriented penitentiary system is a key factor in reducing recidivism. Kazakhstan is steadily strengthening mechanisms to protect the rights of persons in places of deprivation of liberty, expanding public oversight and introducing international standards for the treatment of prisoners, whereas the gradual reform of the penal system has made it possible to significantly reduce the prison population.

The UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan Sukhrob Khojimаtov welcomed the country’s efforts to ensure human rights in closed institutions, Kazakhstan’s accession to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and the establishment of a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), while stressing the importance of further strengthening its institutional capacity, ensuring the independence of monitoring visits and effectively implementing recommendations in practice.

The EU Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić emphasized the importance of projects implemented jointly with Kazakhstan in the areas of the rule of law and human rights, while highlighting the key role of international human rights mechanisms and standards in modernizing the national penitentiary system and strengthening guarantees of the rights of persons in places of deprivation of liberty.

The Regional Representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for Central Asia Matilda Bogner noted the importance of the NPM and continued reforms of the penitentiary system in preventing torture.

In his turn, the Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Stanislav Vassilenko underlined the growing role of the institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Coordinating Council, and the NPM. Their systematic monitoring, recommendations and expert work are an essential element of the national architecture for the protection of human rights. He recalled that Kazakhstan successfully presented its Fourth National Report under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its Third Periodic Report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) at the 144th session of the UN Human Rights Committee. UN experts highly commended the abolition of the death penalty, the strengthening of the Ombudsman institution and the NPM, as well as progress in promoting gender equality, political inclusion and steps to enhance the independence of the judiciary.

The event brought together representatives of state bodies, the judiciary and law enforcement system, civil society institutions, as well as partners from international and regional organizations working in the field of human rights protection and penitentiary reform.

 

At the initiative of the Canadian side, a telephone conversation took place between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Anita Anand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

Minister Kosherbayev took the opportunity to congratulate Canada on its successful chairmanship of the Group of Seven (G7). He noted the high level of bilateral economic cooperation, the positive dynamics of trade turnover, as well as the implementation of a number of major investment projects with Canadian companies such as Cameco, Ivanhoe, Teck Resources, First Quantum Minerals, and B2Gold.

For her part, Minister Anand emphasized Canada’s interest in further expanding cooperation in the trade and economic, energy, investment, innovation, and education spheres, expressing readiness to maintain regular political dialogue and high-level exchanges.

The ministers also "compared the notes" on key issues of the international agenda and on current aspects of cooperation within multilateral formats.

 

The joint session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice took place at the United Nations Office in Vienna, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the session, delegations reviewed strategic, budgetary, and administrative issues that will shape the Commissions’ work in the coming years.

In his statement, Yerkebulan Tyndybekov, Deputy Head of the Judicial Administration Department for the city of Astana, emphasized the importance of strengthening international cooperation in combating organized crime, corruption, terrorism, and other forms of criminal activity.

The Kazakh delegation reiterated the country’s readiness to contribute actively to the work of the Commissions, share national experience, and support global efforts aimed at combating drug-related crime and advancing international security.

 

Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan Daulet Batrashov presented his Letters of Credence to the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović. In accepting the Letters of Credence, the Head of Montenegro emphasized that Kazakhstan is an important partner of the country in the Central Asian region, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

During the meeting that took place after the ceremony, the parties noted the friendly nature of the relations between the two countries and emphasized the mutual desire to further develop comprehensive cooperation across the entire spectrum of interaction.

In the context of discussing the expansion of political cooperation, President Milatović expressed his intention to pay an official visit next year to Astana.

The President of Montenegro, fondly recalling his meetings with the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the sessions of the UN General Assembly in 2023 and 2025, conveyed his best wishes to the people of Kazakhstan and the Head of State.

The Kazakh diplomat briefed his interlocutor on the priorities of Kazakhstan's domestic and foreign policy, including the implementation of large-scale political and socio-economic reforms initiated by President Tokayev. The parties also discussed current issues on the international agenda.