Rustem Khamitov took part in 14th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum

UFA, 10 November 2017. /Bashinform News Agency/. Today in Chelyabinsk the Head of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov took part in the 14th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum. A plenary session of the forum was opened by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The forum is devoted to the development of human capital. Participants included heads of key ministries and departments, heads of a number of Russia's constituent entities and Kazakhstan's regions, and representatives of large businesses from both countries.

"Russia and Kazakhstan are strategic partners and allies. Our states base their relations on friendship, neighborliness, equality and mutual respect. I am convinced that adherence to these principles will allow us to further promote cooperation across all areas", Vladimir Putin said.

The head of state noted that interregional cooperation was developing very successfully and covered a wide range of issues pertaining to socioeconomic policy and cultural sphere.

“Contacts between regions of the two countries reached high intensity. Thus, this year Kazakhstan was visited by more than 20 delegations of the subjects of the Russian Federation. The result of such visits is specific agreements aimed at expanding multi-dimensional interregional collaboration and cooperation", the Russian President said. “I should note that about 400 agreements on cooperation are already operating between the subjects of the Russian Federation and the regions of Kazakhstan. A large package of interregional documents will also be signed during the forum, including between Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, Omsk regions of Russia and Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan and Kostanay regions of Kazakhstan.”

Vladimir Putin said that a comprehensive Russian-Kazakhstan inter-regional cooperation program for 2018-2023 was prepared for the forum. It is aimed at an even more active involvement of regions in the interaction between the two countries. At the same time, priority will be given to cooperation in the trade, economic and investment fields.

Nursultan Nazarbayev marked in his speech that the theme of human capital development was in the limelight of the two states and acquired special importance in the conditions of rapidly developing technologies, including digital ones. In this regard, he noted the necessity to strengthen joint work in all major areas, including education, health, labor market development and social protection.