TEHRAN — Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday afternoon.

During the meeting, the Leader praised the deep historical and cultural ties between Iran and Kazakhstan.

Ayatollah Khamenei also emphasized the necessity to expand ties between the two countries in various fields and cooperate with each other regionally.

Coordination on political and economic issues is necessary for the development of relations between Tehran and Nur-Sultan, the Leader remarked.

He then stressed the need to activate the joint commission, saying, “The two sides must redouble their efforts to pursue the agreements and implement them.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also reiterated the importance of deepening cultural ties between Iran and Kazakhstan, suggesting, “Al-Farabi, as an Islamic philosopher and scientist of Kazakh origin whose works have been researched and studied in Iran for thousands of years could be the basis for cultural cooperation and the formation of a joint academic committee between the two countries.”

The Leader then discussed the issue of the Ukraine war, stating, “The main problem regarding Ukraine is that the Westerners are trying to develop NATO and they will not hesitate to expand their influence wherever they can.”

“We need to look at things carefully and be vigilant, as Americans and Westerners are always trying to expand their sphere of influence in different regions, including the East and West Asia, and to undermine the independence and sovereignty of nations,” Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out.

During the meeting, which was also attended by the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Tokayev also said, “We had very good talks with Mr. Raisi and the memorandums of understanding signed by both parties can pave the way for further expansion of relations between the two countries.”

The Kazakh president described historical and cultural similarities between Iran and Kazakhstan as “deep” and welcomed Ayatollah Khamenei's proposal to form an academic committee based on the Al-Farabi’s philosophy. 

Tokayev also expressed his views on regional issues and the situation in Ukraine and explained about the current status of Kazakhstan after the failed coup attempt in January 2022.