General information
April 30, 1994 is the date of establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
December 13, 1995 - The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened in Riyadh.
In March 1997, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia was opened in Kazakhstan.
In December, 2007, the Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened in Jeddah, which received the status of Consulate General on August 5, 2019.
Since March 2019, HE Mr. Berik Aryn is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Saudi Arabia.
Since March 2023, HE Mr. Faisal Al-Qahtani is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
High-level visits
The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Saudi Arabia four times (official visits - in September 1994, March 2004 and October 2016, working visit - in May 2017).
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Saudi Arabia twice (official visit in July 2022, working visit in July 2023).
Interparliamentary cooperation
In 2015, the Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Saudi Arabia to participate in the funeral ceremony of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.
On September 23-24, 2019, the Saudi delegation, headed by the Chairman of the Shura Council Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al Sheikh, participated in the IV Meeting of Speakers of Parliaments of Eurasian Countries, which was held in Astana.
On October 17-23, 2021, the Saudi delegation, headed by the Chairman of the Shura Council Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al Sheikh, visited the Kazakhstan. During the visit, HE Mr. Abdullah Al Sheikh had the meeting with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and also held negotiations with the Speaker of the Senate and the Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. During the meetings, parties discussed the ways to expand and deepen the interparliamentary dialogue.
The co-chairman of the Kazakh-Saudi Parliamentary Friendship Group from the Saudi side is M. al-Jarbaa, and from the Kazakh side is A. Syrym.
Trade and economic cooperation
Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia in 2023 amounted to $15 million (exports - $7.9 million, imports - $7.1 million). In 2022, the volume of trade turnover amounted to $16.4 million (exports - $4.69 million, imports - $11.76 million), in 2021 - $8.6 million (exports – 5.47 million, imports – 3.16 million).
The main mechanism for interaction between countries on the economic track is the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Cultural, Humanitarian, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. Co-chairs of the Joint Committee: from the Kazakh side – Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, from the Saudi side – Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia Khalid Al-Falih.
To date, the parties held six meetings of the Joint Committee (in October 1999 in Astana, in March 2004 in Riyadh, in May 2009 in Astana, in November 2014 in Riyadh, in September 2021 in Astana and in December 2023 in Riyadh).
The Kazakh-Saudi Business Council is functioning. The first meeting of the Business Council took place in December 21, 2023, in Riyadh. The co-chairman of the Business Council from the Kazakh side – Director General of the GreyWolf Management Kanat Kudaibergen, from the Saudi side – CEO of Al Rajhi International for Investment Ahmed Al-Dakheel.
Cultural and humanitarian cooperation
From the very first days, the Saudi side supports Kazakhstan’s initiative to hold the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. High representatives of the KSA and the leadership of the World Islamic League took part in the congresses held in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2022.
From October 24 to October 31, 2009, Saudi Arabia hosted the Kazakhstan Culture Days, and a similar Saudi event was held in Kazakhstan from June 1 to 5, 2010.
On May 27, 2020, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the KSA and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the OIC, as well as with the support of the OIC General Secretariat, organized a videoconference entitled "At the origins of modern diplomatic relations with the Islamic world: the life and fate of K.A. Khakimov and N.T. Torekulov".
On November 22, 2020 within the framework of celebrating the 175th anniversary of the great poet Abay Kunanbayuly, the Embassy in cooperation with the Saudi Center for Research and Intercultural Knowledge and with the support of L.N. Gumilev ENU held a symposium in Riyadh dedicated to the life and work of the Kazakh poet.
December 8, 2020, the Embassy in cooperation with the King Faisal Center for Islamic Studies, as well as with the support of KazNU Al-Farabi held an international conference on the topic “The contribution of Abu Nasr al-Farabi to the development of human civilization.”
In December 2022, on the 130th anniversary of N. Torekulov, L.N. Gumilev ENU, with the participation of the Embassy, held a scientific and practical international conference “Torekulov Readings”.
On May 30, 2023, the Saudi delegation, headed by Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, the President of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), participated in the first ministerial meeting of the dialogue platform “OIC-15” in Almaty.
On September 26, 2023, in Riyadh, as part of the popularization of the work of the great writer M. Auezov, the Embassy in cooperation with the Saudi Center for Research and Intercultural Knowledge, held a scientific and practical conference.
On September 29, 2023, the Embassy of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the Literature, Publishing & Translation Commission of the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia and the Agency of Literary Art, as well as the "publishing Obeikan", organized the presentation of the book of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.K.Tokayev «The Word about the father» in Arabic on the sidelines of International Book Fair "Riyadh-2023". The presentation was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the famous Kazakh writer, founder of the detective genre in national literature Kemel Tokayev.