Not just business: Putin and Tokayev to address the Forum of Regions
Vladimir Putin and Kasym-Jomart Tokayev will address the participants of the XX Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, which will be held on November 26-27 in Ufa, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Izvestia. The expert community notes the importance of interaction between the regions of neighboring states: the common border of the two countries exceeds 7.5 thousand km and it is the border area that accounts for the bulk of trade turnover between Russia and Kazakhstan. The Izvestia article discusses the success of interregional cooperation and the goals of Vladimir Putin's forthcoming visit to Kazakhstan.
Why the Russian-Kazakh forum in Ufa is important
The leaders of Russia and Kazakhstan will address the participants of the anniversary XX Forum of interregional cooperation between the two countries, which will be held in the capital of Bashkiria, Ufa, November 26-27, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told "Izvestia".
- Yes. The presidents will address the forum," he confirmed, without specifying exactly what date this will take place.
At the same time, the heads of state will meet in Astana, where the Russian leader will arrive on an official visit on November 27. According to the press service of the Kazakh leader, the presidents will take part in the format of video-conference in the Forum of interregional cooperation between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the plenary session of the 17th Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, September 30, 2021, via videoconference
At the forum it is planned to discuss how to realize the full potential of trade and economic cooperation between the regions of Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as how to expand opportunities for industrial cooperation between the two states. It is expected that at the end of the forum the parties will sign a program of interregional and cross-border cooperation, which includes about 140 events in 12 different sectors.
Recall that over the years the forum has established itself as a traditional platform for dialog between representatives of the two countries. In 2023, it was held in the city of Kostanai, Republic of Kazakhstan. Then it resulted in the signing of five interregional documents on cooperation. In addition, the parties concluded commercial agreements totaling 7.7 billion rubles.
According to Kazakhstan's Ambassador to the Russian Federation Dauren Abayev, all 20 regions of Kazakhstan, as well as 76 Russian regions, are directly involved in cooperation between the countries. As for Bashkortostan, for example, Kazakhstan is now among the three leading trade and economic partners of this Russian republic. Thus, in 2022, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Bashkiria increased by 10%, and in 2023 by another 4.2%, approaching $500 million. At the same time, most of it came from Russian exports: chemical products, construction materials, raw materials, food, metals and textiles.
The example of the Chelyabinsk Region, which in April 2023 ranked third among Russian regions after Moscow and the Moscow Region in terms of trade turnover with the Republic of Kazakhstan, is also illustrative. More than 13 thousand citizens of Kazakhstan live, study and work in the Chelyabinsk region on a permanent basis. Kazakhstan also remains a major partner for the Omsk Region. It annually accounts for about 30% of the region's total foreign trade turnover.
Interregional cooperation forums remain an important institution for the development of bilateral relations, especially given the length of the Russian-Kazakh border, Stanislav Pritchin, senior researcher at the Center for Post-Soviet Studies of the IMEMO RAS, reminded Izvestia.
- 12 subjects of the Russian Federation are located directly on the border with Kazakhstan. If you look at the statistics of the Eurasian Development Bank, 80% of Kazakhstan's GDP and 20% of Russia's GDP is formed in border areas. Such forums allow to establish direct links between institutions, a positive agenda is formed, tools are created to address issues in the field of small and medium-sized businesses, in particular, how to cross borders, how standards are harmonized on both sides. This is also an important political format, which is why before the pandemic it was always held in the presence of the president. Now it is held in parallel with the meeting of the presidents of the two countries," the expert said.
The purpose of the forum is to discuss the development of not only economic, but also cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries. Thus, one of the main cultural events will be a fashion show, which will bring together the best designers of Russia and Kazakhstan. In addition, forum participants will be able to taste traditional and author's dishes of Russian and Kazakh cuisine. For music lovers there will be a festival "Voice of Friendship of Peoples", which will be attended by artists from both countries.
Areas of cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan
Vladimir Putin accepted Kasym-Jomart Tokayev's invitation to pay a state visit to Kazakhstan back during the SCO summit, which was held in Astana on July 3-4. Then the Russian leader emphasized that it would be most rational to time the visit to the CSTO summit - it will be held on November 28, also in the capital of Kazakhstan. Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Council of the Russian Federation and Chairperson of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS countries, recently emphasized that Vladimir Putin's trip "will largely determine the further vector of multilateral mutually beneficial, mutually respectful Russian-Kazakh cooperation".
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Kazakh President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev meet on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, July 3, 2024.
So far, the Russian side has not disclosed what issues will be on the agenda of the leaders' meeting. According to Stanislav Pritchin, the discussion will include cooperation in the gas, oil and nuclear spheres.
- We have such a comprehensive economic and energy cooperation that it will naturally be part of the negotiations. In addition, the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, which was approved in a referendum, is on the agenda. Rosatom is one of the most likely candidates to participate in the project. The opening of several Russian universities in Kazakhstan is also on the agenda. A record 83,000 students from the republic study in Russia. And, of course, the issue of security. We are members of the CSTO. And in this regard, we have a huge number of intersection points with Kazakhstan," the expert added.
It is important to note that the indicators in trade and industrial cooperation still show steady growth. If for the whole 2023 trade turnover reached a record figure of $27 billion, then for the first nine months of this year the amount is almost equal to last year. Moreover, out of 42 thousand Kazakh companies with foreign participation, 19 thousand are connected with Russia.
It is noteworthy that active cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan is taking place despite the large-scale sanctions pressure of the West on Moscow. About a dozen Kazakhstani companies operating in Russia have fallen under secondary measures. Nevertheless, as Dauren Abayev confirmed, the partnership is strategic and will be continued. And the growth of trade turnover - "is a vivid evidence that we will work and are working with the Russian Federation," the ambassador emphasized.
Moreover, Russia and Kazakhstan are constantly looking for solutions to counter the unilateral sanctions of the United States and the collective West. As noted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, this is a huge block of issues that are dealt with by the economic, trade, financial departments and central banks of the two countries. All this helps to increase the pace of economic cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan despite the difficult geopolitical situation.
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