Inter-regional trade accounts for 70% of Kazakhstan-Russia trade turnover - Vice Majilis Speaker
"For many years, the cross-border cooperation between our countries has been a promising platform for testing economic freedoms in terms of movement of goods, services, capital and labor. The Kazakhstan-Russia border (7,600 km) is the longest not only in the post-Soviet space but in the world. Seven regions of Kazakhstan border on 12 regions of Russia. At the same time, 76 regions of the Russian Federation out of 85 have direct trade and economic ties with Kazakh partners. Today, inter-regional trade accounts for about 70% of bilateral trade turnover," Mr. Bozhko said, speaking at a meeting of parliamentarians of the two countries.
He also noted that holding annual Kazakhstan-Russia interregional cooperation forums with the participation of heads of state had become a good tradition.
"We can say without exaggeration that the regions of Kazakhstan and Russia play an increasingly important role in the development of interstate relations. And the 14th Interregional Cooperation Forum which will be held in Chelyabinsk in 10 days, on November 9, with the participation of the presidents of the two countries, will discuss issues of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia at the regional level," he added.
"Russia and Kazakhstan, as already noted, have the longest border in the world. Thus, it is very important that this year the Russian Federation has adopted the Law "On Cross-Border Cooperation", which will promote cooperation between the regions of Russia and Kazakhstan," said the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee for the CIS, Eurasian integration and Russian Diaspora Affairs, Konstantin Zatulin.