Kazakh – Israel
General information
Diplomatic relations were established on April 10, 1992.
Mr. Satybaldy Burshakov since October 2019 has been Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the State of Israel.
Mrs. Liat Vekselman since October 2018 has been Ambassador of Israel to Kazakhstan.
Israel Embassy opened in the Kazakhstan in May 1996.
Kazakhstan opened its Embassy in Israel in August 1992.
Political relations
President of Kazakhstan H.E. Nursultan Nazarbayev paid 2 official visits (December 1995, April 2000) and 1 working visit (March, 2013) to Israel.
H.E. Shimon Peres paid a state visit to the RK as the President of the Israel from June 30 to July 1, 2009. In September 2015, Shimon Peres paid a private visit to Nur-Sultan as ex-President of the SI. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Kazakhstan in December 2016.
The Kazakh side’s visits to Israel included those of the Prime Minister (1992); Chairman of the Supreme Court (1995); Ministry of Education and Science (February 2007); Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning (June 2007); Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament (May 2008); Deputy Chair of the Mazhilis of the Parliament (December 2008); Chairman of the National Security Committee (October 2013, December 2018); 1st Vice Minister of Industry and New Technology (October 2013); Vice Minister of Agriculture (April 2015); Minister of Defense (January 2014, August 2016); Deputy Akim of Almaty (September 2016, December 2018), Minister of Finance, Minister of Defense and Aerospace Industry (March 2017, October 2017); Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture (April 2017); Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture (May 2018); Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace (August 2019).
List of visits from the Israeli side: Minister of Science and Economy (1993); Minister of Energy (1993); Director General of the Ministry of Defense (1995); Minister of Foreign Affairs (August-September 1995, October 2009, July 2010); Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Construction and Housing (June 3-4, 2002 in Almaty, CICA Summit); Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee (June 17, 2006 in Almaty, 2nd CICA Summit); Minister of Culture, Science and Sports (January 2008); Knesset Vice-Speaker (May 2008); Minister of National Infrastructures (December 2007, September 2008, April 2010); Minister of Science (July 2010, May 2011); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs (December 2010); Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (June 2014); Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (June 2014); Minister of Ecology (December 2016) .
Cooperation between foreign ministries
Consultations between foreign ministries are held on a regular basis. The 6th round of political consultations was held in Nur-Sultan in June 2013, the 7th round in Jerusalem on November 3, 2015, the 8th round on June 29, 2017 in Nur-Sultan, and the 9th one on February 26, 2019 in Jerusalem.
Cooperation within International Organizations and Forums
Israel supports the Kazakh initiatives concerning the CICA, the EAEU, and the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger participated in the 1st Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions (2003). Yona Metzger and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and President Sh.Peres took part in the 2nd (2006) and 3rd (2009) Congresses. Chief rabbis of Israel and Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem attended the 4th Congress in May 2012. Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef participated in the 5th Congress in June 2015. Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau attended the 6th Congress in October 2018.
In September 2012, a delegation of the Israeli Foreign Ministry headed by Pinchas Avivi, the First Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Israel, took part in the CICA Anniversary Session, the 4th meeting of Foreign Ministers and the CICA CSO.
In February 2013, Israel expressed interest in concluding a quadripartite Free Trade Agreement with the Customs Union countries. Following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on October 16, 2015, a decision was made in Burabay to start negotiations with Israel regarding the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).There were 6 rounds of negotiations: in Moscow in April 23-24, 2018 in Jerusalem in October 8-11, 2018, in Minsk on March 11-14, 2019; in Moscow in July 29-August 1, 2019; in Jerusalem on December 2-5, 2019; in Jerusalem in March 3-5, 2020.
Trade and economic cooperation
Kazakhstan is interested in advanced Israeli technologies and know-how, Israel - in the supply of Kazakh energy resources. According to the Israeli side, 25% of the total imported oil originates from Kazakhstan.
The Committee on Statistics of the Ministry of National Economy of Kazakhstan reports that Kazakh-Israeli trade in 2019 reached $ 514 million (export $466 million, import $48 million). In 2018, mutual trade amounted to $461 million (Kazakh exports - 378 million, Kazakh imports - 63 million).
In 2004, Israel established the Israel-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce in order to develop and expand trade and economic relations.
Due to the interaction of business circles a number of joint projects have been successfully implemented: the supply of new equipment and the introduction of advanced management by «Superior Cables» at the factory of «Kazenergokabel» in Pavlodar in 2005; installation of 2 plants for desalination of sea water (capacity of 12 thousand cubic meters / day) by «I.D.E. Technologies» for the production needs of MAEC in the Mangistau region in 2008; construction of a complex for growing and processing turkey meat with a capacity of 10 thousand tons by «M.A.D. Corporation» in SKO in 2009; the construction of 2 greenhouses with an area of about 3 hectares for the production of vegetable products by «AgroproLtd». in Astana in 2010. Currently, the companies «Netafim», «Naan Dan Jain Irrigation Ltd.» and others carry out projects in the field of drip irrigation, livestock, poultry and gardening in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
As of October 17, 2019, Kazakhstan has registered 141 Israeli-shared companies working in construction, oil and gas, metal industry, manufacturing, cable production, telecommunications, finance and insurance, real estate, pharmaceuticals and medicine, trade and advertising, tourism , transport services, water supply, agriculture, education and scientific and technical areas.
The Kazakh-Israeli Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation was established in June 29, 1992.There were held 8 IGC meetings. Bakhyt Sultanov, Minister of Finance of Kazakhstan, co-chaired the Kazakh part of the IGC. Ze'ev Elkin, Minister of Environmental Protection and of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, co-chaired the Israeli part. Since January, 2020, the Kazakhstani part of the IGC is coordinated by the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry.
Investment cooperation
According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the net inflow of direct investment from Israel for the 3rd quarter of 2019 amounted to $ 3.8 million.
From 2005 to 2019, Israel invested $220,1 million in Kazakh economy.
From 2005 to 2019, Kazakhstan invested a total of $14.6 million to Israel.
Cultural and humanitarian cooperation
Over the past 10 years, as part of the internship program for Kazakh specialists, more than 1000 Kazakh medical doctors and nurses have been trained in leading medical centers of Israel. Israeli specialists hold about 30 workshops every year at Kazakhstan's medical centers and clinics.
Since 1993, with the support of Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation MASHAV under the Israeli Foreign Ministry, 302 Kazakh specialists in medicine, journalism, education technologies, agriculture, small business and water management have been trained in Israel.
Legal framework is represented by following instruments:
- Declaration on Relationship between Kazakhstan and Israel (December 1995);
- Agreement on Encouragement and Mutual Protection of Investment, Agreement on Cooperation in Environmental Protection, Agriculture, and Healthcare (December 1995);
- Declaration on Further Development of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Israel (April 2000);
- Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters (April 2000);
- Agreement on Cooperation in Entrepreneurship, Investment and Expansion of Mutually Beneficial Cooperation (April 2000);
- Visa Waiver Agreement for Holders of Diplomatic and Service Passports (2009);
- Agreement on Military and Technical Cooperation (2014);
- Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation (2016).