Astana: Russia is Kazakhstan's top trade partner

Russia is Kazakhstan's top trade partner, while cooperation between Moscow and Astana should not cause concern, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Dzhumangarin said.

According to the deputy PM, the participants in the Forum of interregional cooperation of Kazakhstan and Russia to be held in Kostanay on November 9 intend to sign trade and economic agreements.

"This forum is dedicated to agriculture. These are digitalization of agriculture, the youth, and agriculture. Purely economic and trade relations will be discussed there. Experts and heads of regions will come; interregional agreements will be signed, trade and economic ones in the first instance," Serik Dzhumangarin said.

Such events benefit the two countries because issues that are close to citizens and the business are discussed there, the official noted. Russia is the top trade partner of Kazakhstan, with the bilateral trade turnover totaling $27 bln as of the end of the last year, he added.