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President Vladimir Putin: Respected Nursultan Abishevich,

Respected friends and colleagues,

We have gathered here on a pleasant, solemn and significant occasion. The Year of Kazakhstan in Russia is handing over the baton to the Year of Russia in Kazakhstan to continue the relay of friendship, trust and openness, uniting millions of people in Eurasia and meeting the spirit of our time and the two nations' historical aspirations for brotherhood and unity with each other.

We are meeting at the very start of 2004 and are together entering its first days and opening its very first pages. I see a special and good omen in this. An omen that our partnership and our mutual interests will grow and the two peoples' sincere sympathies will strengthen and be passed on to new generations of ordinary people of the two states.

Allow me, above all, to thank all our Kazakh friends and especially the President of Kazakhstan for the fine organisation of the Year of Kazakhstan in Russia, for his informal and personal participation in many events and projects, and also for the high sense of responsibility shown by the leadership of this country during all the Year of Kazakhstan in Russia programmes.

We have together succeeded in implementing the Year's main idea: to open the road to public and business initiative, and to fling the doors wide for direct human contacts, and for extensive information and cultural exchanges. And, what is particularly important, to create in the changed historical conditions effective stimuli for deepening bilateral contacts and bringing our countries and nations closer together.

I think many people will agree: such large-scale and diverse actions would have been impossible without the active support of ordinary people in our states, without the sincere interest shown by the regions, business communities and public and humanitarian organisations.

Such a step towards each other has been pre-determined by history itself and, I would say, by the very genetic memory and closeness of our peoples. But in no small degree it is also due to an understanding of the obvious benefits of co-operation, to the growth of mutual interest in a joint search for answers to global threats to security and to tough conditions of world competition.

It stands to reason that our successes, as well as problems, have much in common. In the far from simple conditions of the past decade, Russia and Kazakhstan have been able to constitute themselves economically and become influential, democratic powers.

We have been able to maintain inter-ethic peace in our countries, and social stability has become a reliable basis for progress, for further advance.

But our tremendous advantage is that we are not beginning this movement and joint search from scratch, because the economies of the two countries are historically inter-connected, and in the new conditions are demonstrating sustained and high rates of development. And our people are logically and naturally building up new business and human ties.

However, states and governments have, of course, an extremely important role to play here. And in order to occupy a place in the world worthy of our countries and nations, a good deal still remains to be done together. And the effect will be better if we do it jointly. We are to make a real civilising surge in all areas of economic, social and state development.

But even here our common philosophy remains a desire for economic progress and prosperity through close co-operation and integration, and via effective coordination of efforts in global and regional processes.

It is well understood both in Russia and in Kazakhstan: independence and national identity in no way prevent, but rather multiply, the returns from a mutually beneficial and equal partnership.

This is why our two states are actively working to strengthen the Eurasian Economic Community, to co-operate closely in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, and are consistent and active champions of the common economic area of four states — Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. And I would like to point once more to the role of the President of Kazakhstan in developing extensive integration and inter-state co-operation. He has always been and remains a consistent and energetic participant of such processes.

We in Russia prize and treasure good neighbourly relations with Kazakhstan. For us, your country is our close partner and, moreover, a close friend. It is a key ally and a dependable business partner. And we know that the same warm feelings are entertained on Kazakh soil for Russia and the Russian people. Thank you.

Lying ahead of us is the joint and great effort of strengthening inter-state ties. It is within our power to achieve new heights in co-operation in the economy, education, culture and science. It is also our duty to history and people.

We have no right to forget that behind us there are several generations of Kazakhs and Russians inalienably linked by centuries of brotherhood, common life, memory and just kinship that produced our shared cultural and intellectual wealth.

It is my belief that our main objective is to serve the good and basic interests of the people of Russia and Kazakhstan. To make a contribution to the common stock of stability and economic progress in Eurasia.

I wish ordinary people of our states peace and prosperity, and the Russian-Kazakh strategic partnership, fresh successes.

Thank you for your attention.