Astana. March 6. Kazakhstan Today - The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and the President of Ukraine Victor Jushchenko took part in the solemn opening of the Year of Ukraine in Kazakhstan, which took place on Wednesday evening in the congress-hall of the capital, the agency reports. "This event marks the new chapter in the history of our centuries-old friendship. Ukraine is one of the important political and trade and economic partners of Kazakhstan," N. Nazarbayev declared at the opening ceremony of the Year of Ukraine in Kazakhstan. The leader of Kazakhstan emphasized that two countries plan to strengthen friendship in every possible way. "Owing to constructive political dialogue and concrete arrangements our countries reached high level of bilateral cooperation. Mutual commerce has been actively developing. Following the results of the last year, mutual commodity turnover reached $2.6 billion that is by 64 % more than last year. Kazakhstan became the seventh largest trading partner of Ukraine in the world and the second - in CIS," the President has noted. "I am certain that in the future we will restore and expand our cultural dialogue. I believe that the Year of Ukraine in Kazakhstan will open new possibilities for cooperation," the President of Ukraine V. Jushchenko said. He informed that the decision on construction in Astana of the monument to Taras Shevchenko and construction in Kiev of the monument to Zhambyl Zhabayev has been made. The leader of Ukraine handed over the state awards to a number of political and public officials of Kazakhstan, among them are the Minister of Culture and Information Yermukhamet Yertysbayev and the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Ukraine Amangeldy Zhumabayev.