Putin's Visit to Kazakhstan: Bilateral Trade Volume Approaches $30 Billion
On May 28, Putin held talks with Tokayev in Astana.
Kazakhstan stated that bilateral trade volume is expected to reach $30 billion. Russia is Kazakhstan's largest source of investment, with cumulative investments exceeding $29 billion. Kazakhstan has invested approximately $9 billion in Russia, and currently over 20,000 Russian-owned joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises are operating within Kazakhstan.
Putin confirmed that last year’s trade volume between the two countries was close to $29 billion and continues to grow. The vast majority of transactions between the two nations have already shifted to using their respective domestic currencies, reducing reliance on external markets.
The core agenda of this meeting focused on the energy sector: the two countries signed an agreement to jointly build the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant. According to the Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency, the total cost of this project amounts to $16.4 billion.
They also discussed matters related to oil, natural gas, electricity supply, and transit transport routes. The two countries are jointly constructing two major international transport corridors—north-south and east-west—and are piloting cross-border cargo delivery using unmanned vehicles. Cooperation in the aerospace field continues to advance, focusing on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Baiterek project, and the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle.
Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation in humanities has yielded significant results: more than 60,000 Kazakh students are currently studying in Russia; Russian universities have established branches in Kazakhstan, and the Sirius educational program for gifted youth is steadily taking root.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866438459104256/
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