Kazakhstan, Russia strengthen partnership in energy, transit

The issue was discussed at a working meeting of the President’s Advisor Magzum Mirzagaliyev and Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Yerlan Akkenzhenov with Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak.

Along with transit issues, the sides discussed the prospects for gasification of Kazakhstan’s northern and eastern regions with the consideration of economic effectiveness and national priorities.

The meeting's agenda also included the issues related to coordination within the OPEC+; cooperation in the fields of electricity, hydropower and renewable energy; participation of companies in oil and gas projects; prospects for joint work in the field of peaceful nuclear energy as well as financial and banking sector.

As the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Energy informed, special attention was given to the issues of modernization of the country’s energy infrastructure, namely the projects of construction of new thermal power plants, including technical equipment and mechanisms of financing.

“We have held a constructive dialogue with our Russian colleagues on a wide range of energy cooperation issues. Kazakhstan's priority is to ensure its own energy security, reliability of supplies and implementation of the sector’s modernization plans. We view all joint projects and initiatives through the prism of national interests, based on economic feasibility and mutual benefit,” Yerlan Akkenzhenov said following the meeting.

The sides confirmed commitment to strategic partnership and agreed to continue active interaction on all areas discussed to enhance the bilateral cooperation.

Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan-Russia trade turnover may hit $30bn.