A meeting of the Russia—Kazakhstan Business Council was a key
highlight of the first day of the 16th Russia—Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation
Forum organised by the Ministry of Economic Development of
the Russian Federation and the Roscongress Foundation in Omsk.
Discussions at the meeting centred around the general theme of «Modern Aspects
of Economic Cooperation» highlighting the drivers of improved interactions
between the two countries. The meeting was attended by representatives of
Russia and Kazakhstan’ Chambers of Commerce and Industry, major businesses, and
government authorities.
The two largest countries in the post-Soviet space share more than
just similar economic models inherited from the Soviet era but also common
neighbours, common political interests, and cross-border ties of regions
spanning from the Volga to the Altai region.
This offers extensive opportunities for joint industrial and trade
development, innovation, and exports. So it was only fitting that Vladimir
Padalko, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian
Federation, was the panel’s moderator.
Participants in the meeting discussed promotion of cross-border
cooperation, exports, and cooperative ties, as well as energy cooperation
prospects.
«More than 10,000 businesses with Russian capital successfully
operate in Kazakhstan, to be found virtually in every sector of the economy. As
we know, since 1 January 2015, we have been operating within the common
space of the Eurasian Economic Union, aiming to ensure free movement of goods,
capital, and labour. To enable it, a strong institutional framework has been
established and effective formats developed for interactions among Member
States. Our business people have been empowered through the provision of
effective mechanisms that were put in place to enable entry into new markets
for their products without having to deal with any additional administrative
requirements. Unfortunately, there are also certain trade constraints,
totalling about 70 today and listed in the relevant white paper, but the
Eurasian Economic Commission is working to eliminate them,» said Temirlan
Zhantasov, Director of the Economic Integration Department at Kazakhstan’s
Ministry of Trade and Integration.
The meeting participants from both countries shared their latest
insights on promoting cooperation in various areas, with success stories being
a separate focus of discussion. Mikhail Smirnov, President of EnergoInnovatsiya
Association of Innovative Energy Enterprises, presented a case study on
«Energy 4.0: Challenges and Cooperation in the Context of
Industry 4.0», and Yevgeny Lysakov, Sales and Rental Manager at
Vostochnaya Tekhnika spoke about power
supply solutions for oil and gas fields and other stand-alone sites, as well as
other new solutions offered by his company to industry players. The
participants showed great interest in the technology case presented by
INGC — a project to localise the production of
BORSIG ZM reciprocating compressor, which has already caused a
sensation as it has potential of taking the Russian compression industry to a
whole new level in the next few years.
«The volume of trade between Russia and Kazakhstan has been growing
at around 5% a year, reaching as much as USD 18 billion last year.
This is a good figure but it is still very small considering the real
opportunities that can open up for our countries in this area. We can cooperate
not only in energy and logistics but also, for example, in retail trade —
here too, opportunities are enormous. We need to intensify information sharing,
organise joint discussions, participate in exhibitions, and hold presentations,
that is to step up joint activities in any way possible,» said Vladimir
Padalko.
The 16th Russia—Kazakhstan Interregional
Cooperation Forum focusing on Topical Issues Related to the Development of
Cross-Border Cooperation is taking place in Omsk on 6–7 November 2019. For
more details on the event, please visit the website.
The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organizer of nationwide and international conventions; exhibitions; and business, public, youth, sporting, and cultural events. It was established in pursuance of a decision by the President of the Russian Federation.
The Foundation was established in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia’s economic potential, promoting its national interests, and strengthening the country’s image. One of the roles of the Foundation is to comprehensively evaluate, analyse, and cover issues on the Russian and global economic agendas. It also offers administrative services, provides promotional support for business projects and attracting investment, helps foster social entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives.
Each year, the Foundation’s events draw participants from 208 countries and territories, with more than 15,000 media representatives working on-site at Roscongress’ various venues. The Foundation benefits from analytical and professional expertise provided by 5,000 people working in Russia and abroad.
The Foundation works alongside various UN departments and other international organizations, and is building multi-format cooperation with 173 economic partners, including industrialists’ and entrepreneurs’ unions, financial, trade, and business associations from 78 countries worldwide, and 179 Russian public organizations, federal and legislative agencies, and federal subjects.
The Roscongress Foundation has Telegram channels in Russian t.me/Roscongress, English – t.me/RoscongressDirect, and Spanish t.me/RoscongressEsp. Official website and Information and Analytical System of the Roscongress Foundation: roscongress.org.