An official visit of the Kyrgyzstan President, Kurmanbek Bakiev to Kazakhstan started on 17th April.

An official meeting of the presidents was held in closed format at the residence of the president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev “Ak Orda”.

There also was a session of the Supreme Kyrgyz-Kazakh Intergovernmental Council in expanded structure.

President Kurmanbek Bakiev expressed his thanks to Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev for the hospitality and the excellent work conditions.

“We feel ourselves at home in the beautiful Kazakh land. Our ancestors have been supporting warm and close relationships for centuries. We always have been ready to extend a helping hand to each other, setting out together against external enemies. To follow the legacy of our ancestors, we have founded a Supreme Intergovernmental council to develop and consolidate the relationships of our brotherly nations, for the welfare of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan”, told Bakiev.

The presidents signed a joint declaration after finishing the session of the Supreme Kyrgyz-Kazakh Intergovernmental Council.

It’s told in the declaration, that Kazakhstan would support the nomination of the Kyrgyz Republic to the post of vice-presidency of the 63th session of General Assembly of the United Nations Organization.

Also, it is noticed in the declaration that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have decided to found a Kazakh-Kyrgyz Intergovernmental Council.

According to the declaration, the sides accepted their willingness to form constructive collaborations and joint actions regarding questions of rational and effective use of water and energetic recourses in the region with the regard to their national interests.

During the joint press-conference Nursultan Nazarbaev stressed that Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan were united in their positions regarding the foundation of the Union of Central Asian states.

“Kazakhstan is first in investment in the Kyrgyzstan economy. There are founding new joint enterprises, new work places, positive tendencies towards the development of mutual trade and investment connections”, told Nazarbaev.

Kurmanbek Bakiev told of the particular emphasis made in the development of investment and economic collaboration.

The questions of the beginning of a Kyrgyz-Kazakh Investment Fund and future realization of the joint strategic projects were also discussed.

Besides the question of connecting the Kyrgyz side to the “Turkmenistan-China” gas pipeline project, participation of the Kazakh side in financing and constructing the second part of the main gas pipeline “Tahskent-Bishkek-Almaty” which runs through the Kyrgyz Republic were discussed also.

Ex-minister for foreign affairs and the chief of the International Agency of the development and politic Alikbek Jekshenkulov told information agency 24.kg that the visit of the President Kurmanbek Bakiev to Kazakhstan created worry for the prospect of real economic collaboration.

“Basically, the visit was held as it had been planned earlier. Unfortunately, there weren’t any successful bilateral decisions. There is nothing new in the documents signed by the heads of states”, told Jekshenkulov.

Nevertheless, Alikbek Jekshenkulov is sure that Kazakhstan stays the main partner and ally for Kyrgyzstan in any direction.

An observer of “Vremja Novostei” Arkadiy Dubnov thinks the two-day visit is an utterly important milestone in the straightening of a new political configuration for Central Asia.

“Nazarbaev’s idea for the foundation of a union of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is still a distant trend. But the creation of a mini-union of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan looks real. One year ago a supreme council and the council of foreign affairs ministers were founded and it became a first formal step. This year Bakiev and Nazarbaev have made another step forward. They raised the level of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, having reformed it into a council which would be lead by the prime-ministers of the two nations”, considered Dubnov.