A joint statement was issued at the conclusion of the official visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom. The text of the statement is as follows:

At the kind invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in order to strengthen the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and joint cooperation, His Excellency President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period from 24-25/12/1443 AH, corresponding to 23-24/7/2022.

Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received the President of the brotherly Republic of Kazakhstan at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. An official meeting was held between the Crown Prince and the Kazakh President, during which they reviewed the distinguished relations between the two brotherly countries and ways to develop them in all fields. They also exchanged views on the overall current regional and international situation.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency President Tokayev commended the efforts made by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in serving the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, including pilgrims, Umrah performers, and visitors, praising the Kingdom’s success in organizing the Hajj and Umrah seasons despite the exceptional challenges caused by the Corona pandemic.

On the economic front, both sides praised the development of economic and investment relations between the two countries and agreed to work on strengthening the economic and trade partnership between them by achieving integration between available opportunities and exploring and developing investment areas in light of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and Kazakhstan’s Vision 2050. Both sides also noted the existing cooperation through the Saudi-Kazakh Joint Committee.

Both sides praised the positive results of the Saudi-Kazakh Round Table Forum, which was held during the visit, during which a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed between the private sector of both sides, as well as commercial deals were concluded between the private sector in the energy, food and pharmaceutical sectors.

Both sides welcomed the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding between the governments of the two brotherly countries in the fields of sports, media, pharmaceuticals, and financial cooperation. They agreed to expedite the ratification of the Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement, given its positive impact on enhancing investment exchange between the two countries through high-quality projects in vital sectors of importance to both sides, and to create a secure investment environment for investors from both countries.

Both sides commended the existing cooperation between the Ministry of Investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan Invest, representing the investment sector in the Republic of Kazakhstan, in identifying promising investment opportunities for investors from both countries. They affirmed their commitment to continuing efforts to enable partnerships between the private sectors of both nations, encourage mutual investments, and enhance cooperation in several targeted sectors, including petrochemicals, renewable energy, industry, mining, agriculture, tourism, transportation and logistics, innovation and information technology, digital transformation, financial services, space, and all other areas that contribute to achieving the development goals of both countries. They also agreed to expand cooperation to include other areas, such as joint efforts to achieve integration in supply chains and food security by ensuring the availability of essential food commodities through substantial and high-quality Saudi investments in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Both sides affirmed their desire to enhance trade and tourism by establishing direct flights and multiple shipping routes. The Saudi side commended the Kazakh side's decision to exempt Saudi citizens from visa requirements. Both sides emphasized the importance of exploring ways to strengthen cooperation and exchange expertise in the air transport sector, thereby serving the mutual interests of the two brotherly nations.

In the field of tourism, both sides emphasized the importance of cooperation in the tourism sector and the development of tourism in both countries, exploring the tourism potential of each country, in addition to strengthening joint work in the field of sustainable tourism that benefits and develops the tourism sector.

In the field of education, the two sides agreed to raise the level of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of higher education, research and innovation, to encourage direct cooperation between universities and scientific and educational institutions in the two countries, and to benefit from modern digital technologies in supporting the continuity of education in times of crisis and exchanging experiences and expertise in this regard.

The two sides also agreed to enhance media cooperation between the two countries, and to explore opportunities to develop cooperation in the fields of radio and television, news agencies, journalism, and the exchange of experiences and coordination of media visits, in order to serve the development of joint media work.

In the area of ​​climate change, both sides emphasized the importance of adhering to the principles of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and the need to develop and implement climate agreements that focus on emissions rather than sources. They also expressed their mutual support for the Saudi Green Initiative and the Green Middle East Initiative, launched by the Kingdom, as well as Kazakhstan’s Green Bridge Partnership Program, and expressed their desire to enhance cooperation in this field.

In the energy sector, both countries commended the successful efforts of the OPEC+ group in promoting stability in the global oil market. They also emphasized the importance of continuing this cooperation and the necessity for all participating countries to adhere to the OPEC+ agreement, in a manner that serves the interests of both producers and consumers and supports global economic growth. Both sides affirmed their shared desire to cooperate in the fields of petrochemicals and innovative uses of hydrocarbons, developing infrastructure for circular carbon economy applications, carbon capture, utilization, and clean hydrogen. They agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation in the electricity sector and renewable energy, developing related projects, working towards localizing energy sector products and associated supply chains, and enhancing cooperation in energy efficiency.

Regarding defense and security matters, the two sides discussed the opportunities available in these two areas, in a way that serves and achieves the common interests of the two countries.

On the political front, the two sides exchanged views on issues and matters of interest to both countries on the regional and international arenas, and affirmed their determination to strengthen cooperation and joint coordination towards them, and to continue their support for everything that would establish peace and stability throughout the world.

Regarding the Yemeni crisis, both sides stressed the importance of fully supporting international and regional efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis based on the Gulf Initiative and its implementation mechanisms, the outcomes of the Yemeni National Dialogue, and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued coordination and intensified efforts to maintain international peace and security. They also discussed ways to enhance ongoing coordination and consultation within international and specialized organizations. In this context, the Saudi side expressed its appreciation for the support of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Riyadh's bid to host Expo 2030.

At the conclusion of the visit, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, invited the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to participate in the Seventh World Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, to be held on September 14-15, 2022, and in the Sixth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), to be held on October 12-13, 2022, in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his gratitude for these invitations.

His Excellency also expressed his deep appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to him and his accompanying delegation. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, expressed his best wishes for His Excellency’s health and happiness, and for further progress and prosperity for the brotherly Kazakh people.