In the past year, the Foreign Ministry has done extensive work to promote and protect Kazakhstan's interests on the world stage. A number of important international events have been held, and a significant contribution has been made to the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening Kazakhstan's role as a reliable partner in addressing global challenges.
41 heads of state and government, 4 heads and high representatives of leading international organizations, and 7 heads of parliaments have visited Kazakhstan within the framework of international forums.
24 foreign trips of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were organized and conducted, including state and official visits, as well as his participation in international forums.
Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, made 35 trips abroad, covering key countries and regions such as Russia, China, the USA, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Croatia, Switzerland, Malta and others, held 205 meetings (including 48 with business circles and 16 telephone conversations) participated in 23 international forums. 30 heads of foreign ministries of foreign states and international organizations visited our country.
Kazakhstan's successful chairmanship in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia (CCGCA) and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) have become important steps for to further strengthen the country's international influence.
A significant result of the work on expanding the regulatory framework with foreign countries was the signing of 67 international treaties.
One of the main priorities of Kazakh diplomacy remains the protection of the rights and interests of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan abroad. In 2024, 36 of our citizens were promptly evacuated from areas of natural disasters and conflicts.
Active work continued to improve the status of the Kazakh passport. This year, 15 agreements were signed that exempt holders of various types of Kazakhstani passports from visa requirements in a number of countries. This made it possible to raise Kazakhstan in the ranking of world passports, and at the moment our passport ranks 53rd in the Global Passport Index.
An equally important area is the expansion of the geography of Kazakhstan's diplomatic and consular presence abroad. Currently, 121 foreign institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan operate in 80 countries around the world.
The past year has been a breakthrough year for Kazakhstan's cooperation with the Central Asian states. An important achievement in this direction was the signing of a number of strategically significant agreements, which became the basis for deepening multilateral cooperation in various fields. Agreements on allied relations have been signed with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The 1st meeting of the Supreme Interstate Council was held with Uzbekistan for the first time and a 10-year Program of strategic partnership and Alliance was signed. A declaration and a comprehensive program on strengthening friendship and deepening a multifaceted strategic partnership for 2025-2027 were signed with Turkmenistan.
A confidential political dialogue with Russia was maintained. In 2024, there was a high dynamic of high-level contacts, as well as interaction between the parliaments, governments and foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Russia, reflecting the strategic nature of bilateral relations.
An important event was the state visit of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.Putin's visit to Astana, as well as the holding of the XX Forum of Interregional Cooperation. As a result of the visit, more than 20 agreements were signed covering a wide range of economic and political issues. In total, Kazakhstan and Russia are implementing 143 joint projects totaling $33 billion, which highlights the high level of mutual investment and strategic partnership between the two countries.
Mutual visits at the highest and highest levels with Belarus have contributed to strengthening cooperation in the political, trade and economic spheres.
Peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia were held in Almaty. This step has become a significant contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the region, demonstrating Kazakhstan's active role in resolving international conflicts.
The visit of the Head of State to China, as well as the return state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, have become important stages in the development of the eternal comprehensive strategic partnership with Beijing. Intensive contacts at all levels have led to the signing of 40 bilateral agreements.
145 joint projects worth a total of $38 billion are currently being implemented between the two countries. These projects cover various fields, including energy, infrastructure, trade, and innovation.
An active political dialogue continued with the leadership of the United States. The visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs M.Nurtleu to Washington became an important stage, where he held talks with the US Secretary of State E. Blinken. Due to the high level of mutual understanding at the highest level, the 6th meeting of the Extended Strategic Partnership Commission was held, as well as the first B5+1 business forum in Almaty. In addition, the 15th meeting of the Council of the United States-Central Asian Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment (TIFA) was held in our country.
Our President's regular contacts with the heads of leading European countries and top officials of the European Union have helped bring bilateral cooperation to a qualitatively new level. The Head of State's visits to Hungary, Italy, France and Serbia were organized, as well as meetings in Astana with the leaders of Germany and the Netherlands.
During the Head of State's state visit to Paris, 36 contracts worth $2.2 billion were signed. The talks with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and Riyadh contributed to the deepening of the strategic partnership between Astana and Paris.
An agreement on strategic partnership and cooperation has been signed with the UK. Overall, business agreements worth more than $10 billion have been concluded with European countries.
The development of cooperation with the States of the Global South has progressed significantly. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visits to Singapore and Mongolia were organized, as well as talks with the leaders of Guinea-Bissau, Iran, the Republic of Korea, Congo, Malaysia and Pakistan.
The President of Kazakhstan's visits and negotiations with the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with representatives of large businesses in the region, contributed to the promotion of the interests of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Middle East. Following the results of the state visit to Qatar, commercial agreements worth more than $ 20 billion were signed. Intergovernmental cooperation with Doha has been brought to the level of a long-term strategic partnership.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan traditionally pays special attention to economic diplomacy and attracting foreign investment, as well as promoting domestic products in foreign markets and establishing reliable business relationships with new partners.
A meeting of the Council of Foreign Investors was held under the chairmanship of the Head of State, as well as the Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable, on the sidelines of which 31 contracts worth $7 billion were signed.
According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Kazakhstan attracted investments worth $15.7 billion in 2024 (an increase of 88%). Our country accounts for 63% of all attracted investments in North and Central Asia. It was important for investors that the credit rating of the Republic of Kazakhstan was upgraded to Baa1 (stable) by Moody's in 2024.
All of the above is just part of the extensive and painstaking work carried out by the staff of the diplomatic service of Kazakhstan, aimed at protecting the rights and interests of our citizens, preserving and strengthening friendly, partnership and mutually beneficial relations in all geographical areas.
Summing up the results of the year, it should be noted that Kazakhstan will continue to consistently defend the principles of the UN Charter, international law, as well as equality and democracy in international relations.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/912690