At exactly 5:25 p.m. (local time), on May 5, the plane carrying General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, arrived at Astana airport (Kazakhstan), starting a state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan from May 5-7, 2025, at the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, VNA reported.
Welcoming General Secretary To Lam and his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at Astana airport to Kazakhstan were President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs M.Nurtleu; Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Social Affairs Yer Mekher Kosherbayev; Foreign Advisor to President E.zykKahan; Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Vietnam K.Tumush; Minister of Health A. Alnazarova; Astana City Mayor J.Kasumbek. On the Vietnamese side were Vietnamese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Pham Thai Nhu Mai; along with a number of officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Kazakhstan.
At the airport, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shook hands to congratulate General Secretary To Lam and his wife, introducing Kazakhstan officials. Kazakhstanese girls and teenagers in national costumes approached to present flowers to General Secretary To Lam and his wife.
Then, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited General Secretary To Lam and his wife to walk on the mat with honor, along with two rows of soldiers standing in a solemn welcome.
This is the first state visit of a key Vietnamese leader to Kazakhstan in the past 13 years and the first time a Vietnamese General Secretary has visited Kazakhstan.
This state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan by General Secretary To Lam and his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation demonstrates the importance and consistent policy of the Party and State of Vietnam in strengthening the friendship and comprehensive cooperation with traditional friend countries in Central Asia, the South Cauckaz and Eastern Europe, including Kazakhstan.
Vietnam and the Republic of Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations on June 29, 1992. Since then, the good traditional friendship between the two countries has been continuously consolidated and developed. Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Kazakhstan has changed positively but is still modest.
In 2024, bilateral trade exchanges will reach 800 million USD (an increase of 99% compared to 2023). In the first three months of 2025, bilateral turnover reached 146.3 million USD (up 18.4% over the same period in 2024).
