Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (right) and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly at the official welcome ceremony on May 6. — VNA/VNS Photo

ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired an official welcome ceremony on Tuesday morning for General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly, who are on a three-day state visit to the Central Asian country.

At the welcome ceremony, the two leaders introduced members of their respective high-level delegations. They stood on the honour platform as the national anthems of both countries are played, and then reviewed the guard of honour.

Following the ceremony, the two leaders had a restricted meeting, and led the respective high-level delegations to hold talks.

A view of the ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo

Việt Nam and Kazakhstan established diplomatic ties on June 29, 1992. Since then, their traditional friendship has steadily strengthened. Bilateral trade has been growing though the volume remains modest. In 2024, two-way trade reached US$800 million, up 99 per cent from 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, the figure hit $146.3 million, an increase of 18.4 per cent year on year.

This marks the first state visit by a key Vietnamese leader to Kazakhstan in 13 years and the first ever by a CPV General Secretary.

The visit demonstrates Việt Nam's consistent policy and strong commitment to enhancing friendship and comprehensive cooperation with traditional partners in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Eastern Europe, including Kazakhstan. — VNA/VNS

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Party General Secretary Tô Lâm review the Guards of Honour. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất