Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Iran were established on January 29, 1992.
The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Iran has been operating since 1993.
In October 2007, the Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the city of Gorgan was opened.
In October 2018, a consulate began to function in Bender Abbas.
The Iranian Embassy in the Republic of Kazakhstan has been operating since 1992. The Islamic Consulates General in Aktau was opened in October 2009, and in Almaty in August 2012.
Since March 2023, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Kazakhstan is Ali Akbar Jokar.
Political cooperation
Top-level visits / meetings
The foundations of cooperation between the two countries was laid during the official visit of the former President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev to Iran in November 1992. During the visit, a Protocol was signed on the establishment of a Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.
Further strengthening of friendly relations was facilitated by the visit of the former President of the Iran A. Hashemi-Rafsanjani to Almaty in October 1993.
Since then, in order to continue a close political dialogue at the highest level, 7 visits of the Kazakh side to Iran and 8 visits of the Iranian side to Kazakhstan have been organized as part of participation in bilateral and multilateral events at the level of heads of state.
Since the election of K.Tokayev as President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2019, cooperation at the highest level has been gaining new momentum and is actively developing.
On October 1, 2019, the Head of state met with the President of the IRI H.Rouhani at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Sochi.
On May 20, 2020, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Tokayev held a telephone conversation with the president of the IRI H.Rouhani.
On September 17, 2021, within the framework of the SCO Summit in Dushanbe, the head of state K. Tokayev held the first meeting with the newly elected president of the IRI I.Raisi.
On February 2, 2022, the President of the IRI I.Raisi called the head of state and expressed official support in connection with the events of the "Tragic January".
On June 19, 2022, the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Tokayev paid his first official visit to Iran. This visit brought Kazakh-Iranian relations into a new era and gave a positive impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation. During the visit, the Head of State held talks with the president of the IRI I.Raisi and met with the Supreme Leader of the IRI A.Khamenei.
As a result of the negotiations at the highest level and the events organized among the business community, a total of 24 documents were signed.
The presidents set a goal to increase the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Iran to 3 billion dollars, and to achieve this, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mining of the IRI.
Among the important documents for cooperation between the two countries are Memorandum of Understanding between JSC "NC "KazMunayGas" and the National Oil Company of the IRI, as well as between JSC "NC "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy" and the Railways of the IRI.
One of the most important agreements reached by the heads of state was the Agreement on the establishment of Joint Chambers of Commerce.
Within the framework of the visit, a Kazakh-Iranian business forum was organized. As a result, the total volumes equal to 235 million dollar commercial documents were signed.
In addition, with the participation of the heads of state, the first container train on the Route "Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey" started its operation.
Анықтама: «KTZ Express» АҚ ұйымдастырған бұл пилоттық пойыз 20 футтық 48 контейнерден құрылып, 6 336 км тұратын маршрутты 12 күн жүрді.
On September 16, 2022, within the framework of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was held in Samarkand, a meeting of the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Tokayev with the president of the IRI I.Raisi was organized.
In order to participate in the 6th CICA summit, which was held on October 12-13, 2022, president of the IRШ I.Raisi paid a visit to Astana.
On November 21, 2022, the president of the IRI I.Raisi during the telephone conversation congratulated the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Tokayev on his victory in the presidential elections.
On April 14, 2023, the president of the IRI I.Raisi during the telephone conversation congratulated the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Tokayev on the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
On September 19, 2023, the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Tokayev met with the president of the IRI I.Raisi within the framework of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
High-level visits
Over the past period, the following high-ranking officials of Kazakhstan visited Iran: Prime Minister of Kazakhstan K.Massimov (March 2009), Prime Minister of Kazakhstan A.Smailov (April 2023), Deputy Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament Zh.Karibzhanov (March 2011), Ministers of Foreign Affairs M.Tajin (June 2007), E.Kazykhanov (October 2011 and August 2012), E.Idrissov (November 2015), K.Abdrakhmanov (August 2017), Prosecutor General A.Daulbayev (April 2012), Minister of Investment and Development A.Issekeshev (September 2014 and February 2016), Minister of Agriculture A.Mamytbekov (March 2016), Minister of Culture and Sports A.Mukhamediuly (August 2017), Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Agriculture A.Myrzakhmetov (November 2017), Head of the National Security Committee K.Massimov (July 2018), Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Trade and Integration B.Sultanov (February 19-22 and May 21-23, 2022), Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development K.Uskenbayev (October 9, 2022), Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Trade and Integration S.Zhumangarin (October 30 – November 2, 2022).
The following high-ranking officials of Iran visited Kazakhstan: the Chairman of the Iranian Parliament A.Larijani (October 2010), the First Vice-Presidents H.Khabibi (2000 and 2002), R.Aref (June 2005) and P.Dovudi (October 2008), The Vice-Presidents H.Bagai (October 2009) and M.Mohammadizade (May 2012), the Minister of Commerce M. Gazanfari (December 2009), Foreign Ministers M. Mottaki (October 2008) , A. Salekhi (June 2011, June and September 2012, April 2013), M. Zarif (April 2015, June 2017 and November 2019), as well as the Secretary of the Supreme Security Council of Iran S. Jalili (February and April 2013), Minister of Communications and Information Technology Isa Zarepur (August 2022).
The practice of holding meetings between the heads of government continued, and on August 12, 2019, within the framework of the first Caspian Economic Forum in Turkmenbashi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan A.Mamin and First Vice-President of the IRI E.Jahangiri met.
On October 6, 2022, a meeting of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan A.Smailov with the First Vice-President of the IRI M.Mohber was held in Moscow, organized as part of the II Caspian Economic Forum.
Contacts between the foreign ministries of the two countries continue.
On November 28, 2021, within the framework of the 25th Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the ECO, organized in Ashgabat, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sh.Nuryshev held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the IRI H.Amir-Abdollahian.
On January 12, 2022, a telephone conversation was held between the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan M.Tleuberdi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the IRI H.Amir-Abdollahian.
On May 23-24, 2022, during his visit to Tehran, Deputy Foreign Minister A.Tursunov met with Deputy Foreign Ministers of Iran A.Bageri, R.Najafi, M.Safari, Director General for Eurasia A.Khakiqian.
On April 26, 2023, Prime Minister A.Smailov paid his first official visit to Iran. The visit brought Kazakh-Iranian relations to a new stage and gave impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation. Within the framework of the visit, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan held talks with the First Vice-President of the IRI M.Mokhber and met with the president of the IRI I.Raisi.
The parties successfully cooperate within the framework of regional and international structures such as UN, OIC, CICA, SCO, ECO, Caspian Sea special group.
Iran supported Kazakhstan's candidacy for non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for 2017-2018, voted for Astana to hold the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO-2017, and signed the Charter of the Islamic Organization for food security.
Two rounds of negotiations (February and April 2013) on the Iranian nuclear program were held in Almaty between the "six" international peacekeepers and Iran.
Iran participates in the negotiations on the Syrian issue, which are held in Astana under the auspices of Russia and Turkey, with the participation of the UN and the Syrian opposition.
Trade and economic cooperation
In 2023, the trade turnover between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the IRI decreased by 42% and amounted to $302.1 million. Exports decreased by 73%, amounting $83.5 million. Imports increased by 3.3 percent, reaching $218.6 million.
At the end of 2022, the volume of bilateral trade reached $528 million, which was an increase of 19.8% compared to 2021. At the same time, Kazakhstan's exports increased by 15.5%, reaching $318 million. The volume of imports amounted to $210 million and rose by 26.8% compared to the previous year.
The main export products of Kazakhstan are barley, steel, wheat, meat, fertilizers, the main import products are cement, paints, varnishes, fruits and dried fruits.
According to official data of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the volume of direct investment from Iran to Kazakhstan in 2022 amounted to $32.4 million. This is compared with the indicators of 2021 ($26.2 million) 23.7 percent higher.
523 legal entities and branches of companies with Iranian capital are registered in Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation is constantly proactive. The 18th IGC meeting was held on January 25, 2023 in Astana. The 19th IGC meeting was held on December 3, 2023 in Tehran.
Анықтама: Иранға ресми сапардың қорытындысы бойынша Мемлекет басшысының берілген тапсырмаларын орындау аясында ҚР Премьер-Министрінің орынбасары С.Жұмангарин 2023 жылғы 3 желтоқсанда Тегеран қаласында өткен Сауда-экономикалық, ғылыми-техникалық және мәдени ынтымақтастық жөніндегі Қазақстан-Иран үкіметаралық комиссиясының кезекті 19-ші отырысында жол картасына қол қойды.
At the 17th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, organized on February 19-22, 2022 in Tehran, an agreement between the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Customs Administration of the IRI on the exchange of preliminary information on transport and goods, Memorandums between JSC “KazTrade” and the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran and standardization institutions of the two countries to increase bilateral trade turnover to $100 million were signed.
As a result of the second trade mission of Kazakhstan to Iran and the Kazakh-Iranian business forum, which took place on February 21, 2022, and within the framework of this IGC meeting, the commercial agreements were signed that amounted to $14 million.
On April 7, 2022, the management of the Iranian company "Iranian Babak Copper Company" paid a visit to Kazakhstan, during which signed a Memorandum with JSC "NC "Kazakh Invest" on investing $200 million for projects of the extraction of copper, aluminum, gold and other fossil reserves in the Republic of Kazakhstan. On the basis of this document, a new legal entity was registered in the country in November 2022.
On May 23, 2022, a Protocol on granting by Iranian side a 44% discount on the basic tariff for the transportation of Kazakh coal through the territory of Iran and providing the basis for the transit of Kazakhstan's cargo up to 4 million ton between JSC "NC "KTZ" and the IRI Railway was signed.
On October 9, 2022, the Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Uskenbayev took part in a Meeting of the ministers responsible for the transport sector of the Central Asian countries and Iran, in Tehran.
From October 30 to November 2, 2022, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Trade and Integration S.Zhumangarin visited Iran. During the visit, a Memorandum was signed on the provision of a land plot with an area of 12 hectares to Kazakhstan for the construction of a Kazakhstan terminal in the Port of Shahid Rajai (Bandar-Abbas City), which is the largest container port in Iran.
On January 21-23, 2023, in order to discuss ways to implement the agreements reached during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan S. Zhumangarin at the end of 2022, Deputy Director General of JSC “KazTrade” A.Saginayev visited Tehran and Bandar Abbas.
It is expected that the use of the railway line Uzen (Kazakhstan) – Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek (Turkmenistan) – Gorgan (Iran) will contribute to the development of bilateral trade and economic relations.
Cultural and humanitarian cooperation
In 2007, within the framework of the visit of the first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev to Iran, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Organization of the National Library and Archives of the IRI. According to this document, scientific expeditions of Kazakh researchers and Orientalists were organized to study medieval Iranian manuscripts.
In December 2014, the delegation of Al-Farabi KazNU visited Tehran and signed a Memorandum with Sh.Beheshti University. In 2015, the delegation of the Iranian university paid a visit to Almaty. The two universities are currently negotiating on exchange of students for a master's degree.
On October 19, 2020, as a joint initiative of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the IRI, the international online forum "Harmony of Civilizations on the Silk Road" was held, dedicated to the 1150th anniversary of the great thinker Abu Nasir Al-Farabi. It was attended by the Minister of Science, Research and Technology of Iran M.Golami and the president of the Iranian Academy of Sciences – the famous Iranian scientist-farabitologist R.Ardakani. The moderator of the Iranian section was H.Ayubi, Director General of the IRI National Commission under UNESCO.
On June 19, 2022, at a meeting with the Supreme Leader of Iran A.Khamenei, held as part of the official visit of the head of state to Iran, it was agreed to create a joint committee to study the heritage of Al-Farabi.
During the visit, the Program of cultural exchange between the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Orientation of the IRI for 2022-2025, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between JSC “Khabar Agency” and the IRI Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Institute for Political and International Studies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran were signed.