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Russia, Kazakhstan approved plans to develop checkpoints across state border

Russia’s Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin said that the 1st stage of the roadmap implementation will cost $312 mln and implies the modernization of 18 checkpoints

OMSK, November 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev have approved a joint program on the operation of checkpoints on the Russian-Kazakh state border.

Concluding the Forum of interregional cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, the heads of states were got familiar with several promising joint projects.

In particular, Russia’s Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin presented a roadmap for the development of checkpoints across the Russian-Kazakh state border for 2020-2025. He drew attention to the problem at the checkpoints of Sagarchin and Mashtakovo, where cluster of thousands of cars form at peak time. To increase throughput it is necessary carry out an upgrade, which requires investments, he noted.

The Russian minister said that the first stage of the roadmap implementation will cost 19.9 bln rubles ($312 mln) and implies the modernization of 18 checkpoints - 17 for cars and one for trains.

At the second stage, in the medium term, it is planned to upgrade 11 checkpoints - including nine for cars and two for trains.

At the third stage, another 20 checkpoints (four for cars and 16 for trains) will be upgraded. He stressed that the first stage needs to be started next year and should be implemented jointly by the two states.

"If you support such a program according to the results of the forum, we would start to make progress removing the barriers, because it is about trade and lives of people who experience big problems with movement," Oreshkin said addressing the two Presidents.

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