Tuesday, May 29, 2012 -
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev held talks with Kazakhstan’s top leaders Tuesday during a visit to the Kazakh capital, his first foreign trip since his appointment to the country’s premiership.
Medvedev discussed bilateral and regional ties with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the presidential palace in Astana on Tuesday morning.
The two reviewed recent bilateral accomplishments during the Russian presidency of Medvedev, noting developments related to the Customs Union, single economic space, and common customs fees.
Those talks were followed by a tete-a-tete meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Karim Massimov.
There, Medvedev noted significant progress both in bilateral relations and in the international integration during the past years.
“Speaking of direct results, our trade partnership grew by one-third and this is related both to intensification of trade turnover in general and the integration processes between three countries of the Customs Union,” the Tengri News website quoted Medvedev as saying at those talks.
Delegations of both sides are scheduled to hold more expansive meetings. The two delegations are expected to work on developing ties in the oil and gas industry, as well as the power and nuclear power industries.
Russia is Kazakhstan’s primary trade partner. The growing trade between the two countries reached $23.9 billion last year. Kazakh exports to Russia were worth $7.7 billion in that period, while imports from Russia totaled $16.2 billion.
Medvedev arrived in the Kazakh capital on Monday night.
He will then fly to Turkmenistan to attend a conference of government heads of the Commonwealth of Independent States.