The governments of Kazakhstan and Russia will sign 10 agreements during the forum in Chelyabinsk, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said while meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Kazinform correspondent reports.
"Let me welcome you here in Chelyabinsk, not far from our common border. (...) We have a good reason for cooperation of the regions. I remember it was your initiative, and it turned out to be very successful and useful. We are very glad to welcome you in one of the industrial centers of Russia," the Russian leader greeted the guest from Kazakhstan at the XIV Interregional Cooperation Forum.
In his turn, the Kazakh leader thanked Vladimir Putin, noting that the interregional cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia is the basis for the economic interaction between the two countries.
"Chelyabinsk is closely associated with my youth in metallurgy. A while ago, I used to visit the city and many of its large enterprises. We studied here, acquired specialties. In 2002, it was here that we agreed to hold the interregional forum every year. I am very glad to meet with you again this year. You are going to take a big journey - to Vietnam for the APEC summit soon. I wish you a good trip and success in this great endeavor! Our interregional cooperation is the basis for the economic interaction that is growing in spite of the difficulties. Over the last nine months, the trade turnover between our countries has increased by 31 percent. And I know that today our ministries have worked on 30 interregional agreements. We will sign 10 intergovernmental agreements [at the forum]," said Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The Head of State also highlighted that each such meeting is a new milestone and gives Kazakhstan and Russia the opportunity to resolve the most challenging issues. Moreover, he said that today's meeting will also be crucial for the development of further cooperation between the two countries.
At the meeting, the presidents discussed the current issues of bilateral relations and prospects for their development.
Kazakhstan and Russia inked a number of important documents in follow-up of the 14th Interregional Cooperation Forum in Chelyabinsk on Thursday, the Akorda press service reports.
The documents signed within the framework of the forum include the joint statement of the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia on the occasion of the 25th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries; the Additional Protocol to the Protocol to the Agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia on delimitation of the deep seabed of the Northern Part of the Caspian Sea for the purpose of the exercise of sovereign rights to subsoil management as of July 6, 1998; and the Agreement between the Governments of the two countries on the functioning of the Kazakhstan branch of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.
The sides also inked the documents related to the Baikonur complex functioning. The Interregional and Cross-Border Cooperation Program between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Russian Federation for 2018-2023 was adopted at the forum as well. A number of Kazakh and Russian companies signed the memorandums of cooperation, including the one between KazTransOil JSC and Transneft JSC.
Reported by Kazinform.
