ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov discussed prospects for cooperation in trade and economic, investment, agricultural, cultural, and humanitarian areas at a Sept. 25 meeting in the Kazakh capital, reported the Akorda press service.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Rustam Minnikhanov. Photo credit: Akorda.
President Tokayev highlighted the critical role Tatarstan plays in Kazakhstan’s multifaceted relations with Russia, noting a dynamic Kazakh-Tatar collaboration, with mutual trade growing 22.5% to over $597 million last year.
He mentioned large projects put in place in machinery with the involvement of Tatneft, the fifth largest oil company in Russia, and KAMAZ, a Russian manufacturer of trucks, buses, and engines.
President Minnikhanov expressed gratitude to Tokayev, particularly for the large-scale Innoprom Kazakhstan industrial trade fair, which is taking place on Sept. 25-27 in Astana.
The Tatar delegation, consisting of over 100 people from 38 companies, arrived in the capital to present their large businesses, willing to engage small and medium-sized enterprises in the trade and economic development between the countries.
Minnikhanov focused on the Interregional Cooperation Forum of Kazakhstan and Russia slated for November in Kostanai, saying that its agricultural agenda will serve as a fruitful platform for interaction.
President Tokayev suggested that this issue would be interesting for Tatar entrepreneurs, considering their huge experience in processing agricultural products and vast potential for cooperating in this field.
