North Kazakhstan Oblast seeks cooperation with Belarus in agriculture

"North Kazakhstan Oblast is viewed as a northern gateway of the country. The regional economy is perfect for developing cooperation in agriculture as far as we are an agricultural region of the country. Every year the oblast provides 30% of Kazakhstan's croppage. We are interested in close cooperation with Belarusian partners in what regards agriculture," she stressed.

According to Nelli Kukushkina, Kazakhstan has been steadily developing its trade with Russian regions and starts building up its trade with Belarus. "We have analyzed the results of our economic cooperation in 2011. They are far from the potential Kazakhstan and Belarus have," she noted stressing that the cooperation between the two countries need a boost in all economic areas, taking into account that doing business conditions are favorable both in Belarus and Kazakhstan, BelTA reports.

First Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vyacheslav Reut, on his part, noted that a robust foundation for friendship and economic relations had been laid between the two countries during the Soviet Union times. The Single Economic Space has given a new impetus to bilateral cooperation. "Today our countries are building up uniform policies, new solid economic relations. Not everything is smooth here. There are problems in what concerns legalization of these relations. But the main step has already been made, the Single Economic Space has been created and the first results are already on one hands," Vyacheslav Reut said.

In his words, Belarus values the relations it has both at the high level and in business. "This cooperation is of importance not only for our industrial flagships but those small companies which are eager to develop relations with Kazakhstan," the official said.