Welcoming the participants, the President of Kazakhstan noted that over the past two decades, the Forum has evolved into an effective platform that sets the tone for strengthening strategic partnership between our countries.
– Cooperation in trade, economic, and investment sectors, as well as industrial cooperation, demonstrates a stable growth dynamic. Indeed, trade turnover is increasing. Last year, it reached an impressive 27 billion dollars. Russia accounts for nearly 20% of Kazakhstan's foreign trade. The total volume of direct Russian investments has approached 25 billion dollars. The annual influx of investments has significantly increased, doubling last year to 3 billion dollars. There are 23,000 Russian and joint companies successfully operating in Kazakhstan, which constitutes almost half of all our enterprises with foreign participation, – said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
In his speech, the head of state elaborated on key issues of inter-industry interaction between the two countries. In his opinion, cooperation in the fuel and energy sector between Kazakhstan and Russia has reached a qualitatively new level.
– Together with Lukoil, we have started the development of the large offshore field "Kalamskas-More – Kharaz". The investment in the project will exceed 6 billion dollars. Moreover, our Russian partners are actively participating in the implementation of projects in the oil and gas chemicals sector. Together with Sibur, we commissioned the largest polypropylene production plant in Central Asia in 2022, with a capacity of 500,000 tons per year. Today, this facility not only supplies raw materials to Kazakhstani processors, but also exports products to Russia, China, Turkey, and other countries. In September of this year, the construction of a polyethylene production plant with a capacity of 1.2 million tons per year began. A project for the production of butadiene with a capacity of 340,000 tons per year is being implemented in collaboration with Tatneft. Significant achievements have also been made in the gas sector. For the first time, the transit of Russian gas to Uzbekistan has been launched through Kazakhstan. An agreement has been signed with Gazprom for the transit of Russian gas to Kyrgyzstan. Long-term supplies of Russian gas to Kazakhstan are being discussed, – the president noted.
He reported that a year ago, an Intergovernmental Agreement on measures to ensure the parallel operation of the energy systems of Kazakhstan and Russia was signed, the implementation of which will strengthen the foundation of partnership in the energy sector.
– Practical cooperation has been established in the construction of thermal power plants in the cities of Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Our partnership in the field of renewable energy sources is also developing quite actively. With the participation of Russian partners, projects with a total capacity of 370 megawatts have already been implemented in Kazakhstan. As part of the agreements reached, the launch of another gigawatt of clean energy generation is planned in the near future, – the head of state noted.
According to him, this year marks five years since the start of the implementation of the Program for Joint Actions in the Field of Industrial Cooperation. Within the framework of the program, 93 joint projects have been implemented with a total investment of nearly 18.5 billion dollars, which has allowed the creation of over 22,000 jobs.
– This year, with the participation of Tatneft, a tire manufacturing plant with a design capacity of 3.5 million units per year was launched in the city of Sarani. In collaboration with KAMAZ, the localization of machine engineering equipment production is deepening. In October of this year, a large-scale project for the production of cast iron with a capacity of up to 40,000 tons per year was launched in Kostanay. Next year, the opening of a plant for the production of leading axle components is expected. Currently, another 49 projects with a total investment of over 29.5 billion dollars and the creation of about 20,000 jobs are being implemented. Companies EuroChem and Uralchem are implementing large-scale projects for the production of mineral fertilizers in the Zhambyl region, – Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reported.
As noted further, Kazakhstan and Russia possess significant potential for expanding cooperation in the agro-industrial sector.
– This year, our farmers harvested a record grain crop of nearly 27 million tons. This is especially symbolic in the year marking the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the development of Kazakhstan's virgin lands. In addition, we have begun the implementation of a series of large-scale projects aimed at reducing import dependence on key food products. In the coming years, 116 modern dairy farms will be built, increasing milk production by 600,000 tons. The commissioning of 29 meat poultry farms with a total capacity of over 220,000 tons of meat per year and 11 egg-laying poultry farms capable of producing 850 million eggs per year is planned. In the agro-industrial sector, our countries possess truly colossal export potential. I am convinced that we should not compete with each other in the domestic market of the EAEU. This clearly harms integration. On the contrary, we can combine efforts to become a key food hub for exporting agricultural products to third countries, – said the President of Kazakhstan.
Another priority task identified by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is strengthening the transport and logistics framework across the entire Eurasian space. In his opinion, this holds strategic significance for both Kazakhstan and Russia. Our country plans to repair 11,000 kilometers and construct over 5,000 kilometers of new railways by 2030.
– An important priority for us is the creation of a network of modern multimodal centers and "dry ports" abroad. One successful example of such cooperation has been the construction of a new transport and logistics center at the Selyatino station in the Russian Federation. At the opposite end of the transit corridor, cargo collection will take place at the recently constructed Kazakh terminal in the Chinese city of Xi'an. This effectively creates key support points for a unified cargo transit system along the route China – Kazakhstan – Russia, – emphasized the head of our state.
The president also touched upon issues related to the development of the tourism sector. He reported that Kazakhstan provides a visa-free regime for citizens of 86 countries and has direct air connections with 31 countries worldwide. In addition, consistent measures are being taken to enhance the transport accessibility of key resort areas.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes that joint efforts to expand trade and economic cooperation allow the parties to adapt to modern challenges and create a solid foundation for sustainable growth of the economies of both countries.
– We need to maintain the high level of our multifaceted interaction. It is important to continue working on simplifying cross-border procedures and eliminating trade and logistics barriers to create favorable conditions for Kazakhstani and Russian businesses. I am confident that the substantial package of agreements signed within the framework of the Forum, along with the specific initiatives expressed, will not only reveal significant potential for interregional cooperation but also provide a powerful impetus for the development of our countries' economies, – concluded the head of state.
At the plenary session of the XX Forum of Interregional Cooperation, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev, and Deputy Prime Minister – Head of the Office of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan Galymzhan Koishybaev also spoke.