Kazakhstan-Russia Interregional Forum is a full-fledged mechanism of two countries’ interaction – Tokayev
Taking the floor, the Kazakh President noted that the Forum has become a good tradition and a full-fledged mechanism of interaction between the two countries.
In his words, trade and economic cooperation has expanded significantly in the past years. From 2003 to 2018, the volume of mutual trade rose 3.5fold. Commodity turnover in 2018 exceeded 6.5trn tenge or $18bn.
The Head of State positively evaluated the level of the bilateral cooperation in energy and oil and gas sector.
«More than 500mn tonnes of oil have been shipped via the Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline since the establishment of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. Our enterprises jointly work at Tengiz, Korolevskoye and Karachaganak oil deposits and at Khvalynskoye, Tsentralnoye and Kurmangazy trans-border deposits,» he said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev touched upon the results of interaction within the Eurasian Economic Union. According to him, the active use of the EAEU’s potential by the regions led to the growth in trade, expansion of the range of products supplied and increase in investments.
The Kazakh Leader believes that the Kazakh-Russian cooperation may become a key tool in ensuring sustainable economic growth and improvement of people’s wellbeing.
«Both Kazakhstan and Russia have numerous special development institutions established for the attraction of investments and promotion of exports. I suggest that these institutions draft and implement a joint programme of studying the markets of near-border regions in order to inform business entities of the promising markets,» he noted.
The President proposed to develop and adopt a near-border cooperation programme which will let strengthen the infrastructure potential of the near-border regions.
«We should expand and develop the infrastructure potential of near-border regions. The existing infrastructure does not conform to modern requirements. Much is to be done. We need to modernize the border crossing points with the consideration of the transnational corridors formed, including within such projects as One Belt, One Road and North-South. Today we see need in broadening and opening a number of additional border checkpoints,» Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated.
The Kazakh Leader pointed out an important role of the Joint Action Programme in industrial cooperation of the two countries. The President called the relevant ministries, regions, development institutions to actively interact in joint accession to the third countries’ markets. He also stressed the importance of close cooperation of the two sides’ regulatory authorities.
Besides, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested developing a cooperation programme in sport and backed the initiative to open Bauman School of Physics and Mathematics in Nur-Sultan. In turn, he voiced an idea of opening the Nazarbayev Intellectual School in one of Russia’s near-border regions.
The Head of State also initiated to devote the next interregional forum to ecology and hold it in Kokshetau.