MOSCOW, January 27. /ITAR-TASS/. The ninth session of the Russian-Kazakh Interparliamentary Commission on Cooperation between the State Duma and the Majilis lower houses of parliament was held at Russia’s State Duma on Monday.

“There was a pause starting from 2010, and there were no such meetings,” State Duma Deputy Speaker Lyudmila Shvetsova said, opening the session, aimed to intensify the parliamentary relationship between the two countries.

Today, “we have paved the way for renewed, more active cooperation,” she said. “We have a number of concrete tasks before us, designed to form the Eurasian community. It is very important in this context to improve the legal framework.”

“The current year is crucial for further integration steps by Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus - the Eurasian Economic Union will start functioning from January 1, 2015,” Shvetsova said, noting that the idea of creating such a union was first put forward by Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev.

Shvetsova added there should be no hurry in taking decisions at the session.

“We will discuss them [decisions] and sign in the course of work,” she said.

Majilis Deputy Speaker Sergey Dyachenko said the parties would also “draft recommendations to the state authorities, which should enable further strategic co-operation between the two countries.”

According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the volume of Russian-Kazakh mutual trade has increased year-on-year by 12.7% in January - September 2013. Besides, 76 out of 83 Russian territories have trading and economic relations with Kazakh partners. And there are nearly 4,000 enterprises in Kazakhstan in which Russian businesses have a share.