Russia-Kazakh trade to exceed 20 bln dllrs - official

ASTANA, September 27 (Itar-Tass) - Trade turnover between Kazakhstan
and Russia will be record high this year, exceeding 20 billion dollars,
special representative of the Russian president at the Customs Union
Viktor Khristenko said after a meeting with Kazakh leader Nursultan
Nazarbayev on Tuesday.
"The parties discussed bilateral cooperation and issues of Customs
Union's operation," the press office of the Kazakh president reported.
"We've posted a 40-percent increase in Russian-Kazakh trade this year;
we'll reach a record-high trade turnover between our countries in the
whole history, which will exceed 20 billion dollars," Khristenko said.
He noted similar statistics with Belarus, another Customs Union member.
Khristenko reminded that Customs Union is entering the new phase
starting next year - the functioning of the Common Economic Space.
"Today's meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev was devoted to
the formation of new legal groundwork for the Commission's work. It should
become a more professional, permanent body to ensure effective functioning
of the organization on the new integration floor," the Russian official
said.
At present, the countries are living "through difficult times of the
global crisis, which inevitably reflects on our economies. Deeper
integration will enable use to make the development of our economies more
stable, more substantial," he underlined.