ASTANA, November 11. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced that during his state visit to Russia, the parties will sign a declaration on a comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance between the two countries.

"The signing of the Declaration on the transition of relations between Kazakhstan and Russia to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance will become the key item on the extensive agenda of my visit to Moscow. This document will obviously open a new era in bilateral relations, confirming an unprecedented level of mutual trust and joint readiness for closer work in all areas," he said in an article in Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan has placed particular importance on developing friendly ties with Russia, Tokayev noted. The Russian direction was established as a constant priority in the republic’s first foreign policy concept, as well as in subsequent similar documents, he added.

"In 1992, the first Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance was signed, laying a solid foundation for interstate relations, and becoming a symbol of the conscious choice of our peoples. Much has changed in the world and the post-Soviet space since then, but the key thesis articulated in the text of the Treaty remains relevant: eternal friendship is not just a figure of speech, but an accurate reflection of the philosophical and political perception by our peoples of the complex, ambiguous realities of the present and future times," the Kazakh president stressed.

Tokayev’s state visit to Russia will take place on November 11-12.