NOVO-OGARYOVO, September 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expects trade turnover between Russia and Kazakhstan to reach a record level of $20 bln by the end of this year.

"The cooperation between our countries is truly extensive, diversified and mutually beneficial," he said at a plenary session of the Russian-Kazakh transregional cooperation forum on Thursday.

This first of all concerns the trade and investment area, the president noted. "In particular, bilateral trade turnover rose by 34% in seven months of this year to $14 bln, according to our data. Mutual trade is expected to hit the record level of $20 bln by the end of the year," he said.

It is transregional cooperation that contributes much to the expansion of economic cooperation, the Russian leader pointed out. "Seventy-six out of 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation foster strong links with all regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan," he said.