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Exports from Russia’s Siberian regions to Kazakhstan up despite pandemic

The Russian PM announced earlier a decline in trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan amid the pandemic and urged to boost trade turnover

MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Exports from Russia’s regions bordering Kazakhstan, the Altai Region, the Novosibirsk Region and the Omsk Region, to the neighboring republic increased in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic, representatives of the regions’ relevant ministries told TASS.

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Kazakhstan is one of Russia’s biggest trade partners, in Siberian regions the neighboring country is one of top three importers and exporters of products. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced earlier a decline in trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan amid the pandemic and urged to boost trade turnover.

"Trade turnover with the Republic of Kazakhstan amounted to $619.6 mln in 2020, up by almost 6% compared with last year. Exports rose by 8% ($409.2 mln), while imports added 1% ($210.4 mln)," a representative of the Novosibirsk Region’s economic development ministry told TASS, adding that Kazakhstan was the region’s third-biggest partner in terms of trade turnover and import in 2020 and the second-largest - in terms of export.

Exports from Russia’s Altai Region to Kazakhstan amounted to $346.1 mln last year, up by 3% compared with 2019. Meanwhile, the total trade turnover slipped by 2.2% to $440.1 mln, a source in the administration of the region’s governor and government told TASS. That was due to a 15.7% decline in imports to $94 mln.

The Omsk Region also increased exports to Kazakhstan - by 7.7% to $240.9 mln, which allowed neutralizing a 16% decrease to $116.1 mln of Kazakh goods’ imports. As a result, the region’s external trade turnover with the republic only lost 1.5% in 2020 to $357 mln, according to a representative of its economic development ministry.

The authorities of Russia’s Siberian regions expect growth of indicators to speed up thanks to normalization of the epidemiological situation. Particularly, the Novosibirsk Region plans to participate in the international agriculture and food exhibition KazArgo/KazFarm 2021 in Nur-Sultan and organize a business mission to the city. It is also planned to invite Kazakhstan to take part in the International Forum of Technological Development Technoprom-2021, the OpenBio Open Communications Platform and other large events in the Novosibirsk Region.

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