The two-day visit, Ahmadinejad's first visit to Astana since his 2005 election, will focus on bilateral relations, with special attention paid to the possible introduction of a moratorium on sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea.
Russia banned commercial sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea in 2002 in an effort to combat the species' declining population, which has been cut more than 95% in the last 15 years due to rampant poaching.
Caspian Sea sturgeon accounts for almost 90% of the world's black caviar. According to Russian experts, who said illegal sales of the delicacy were cut in half in 2008, it will take at least 10 years to restore the sturgeon population in Russian waters.
The Caspian Sea's five littoral states - Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran - have not reached agreement on its status since the breakup of the Soviet Union, complicating joint efforts in the region.
