MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. The economic interaction between Russia and Kazakhstan is growing despite challenges in the global economy, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at the meeting with new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Oljas Bektenov.

"Despite the turbulence in the global economy, the Russian-Kazakh interaction is developing successfully," Mishustin said. "Russia ranks first among foreign trade partners of Kazakhstan; the mutual trade turnover totaled more than 2.5 trillion rubles or 12.6 trillion tenge ($27.4 bln) and surpassed the record-high figure of 2022," he noted.

"Accumulated Russian investments in the economy of Kazakhstan amount to 1.5 trillion rubles ($16.5 bln). Large-scale projects are being implemented in industry, automobile sector, petrochemistry, transport infrastructure, and digital technologies," the Russian Prime Minister said.

"Russia and Kazakhstan has the vast potential for interaction in the transport and logistical infrastructure sphere," Mishustin noted. He reminded that the two countries are linked by the longest overland border in the world - more than 7,500 km. "Critical transit routes of Eurasia are passing along territories of our countries. We pay particular attention to the North-South international corridor and its eastern Trans-Caspian route," he stressed. This corridor "will become a global transport artery in the future in interests of all countries of the Eurasian region," the Russian Prime Minister added.