The Head of Karelia held a meeting with the Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in St. Petersburg
Artur Parfenchikov and Dmitry Mikhno discussed the development of trade and economic ties and cooperation in the cultural sphere.
On July 30, a meeting was held in the Government of Karelia between the Head of the region Artur Parfenchikov and the Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in St. Petersburg Dmitry Mikhno.
Today, Kazakhstan is one of Karelia's main trading partners. In 2023, the volume of foreign trade amounted to more than $22 million.
– The Republic of Kazakhstan is among our five most active foreign partners in terms of trade turnover and is in the second place in terms of trade turnover among the CIS countries, - emphasized Artur Parfenchikov. – We are ready to continue work with the Kazakhstan partners and develop mutually beneficial relations in all areas.
The largest share of exports from Karelia in 2023 was made up of timber and pulp and paper products – 78.7%. Our republic also supplied chemical products, food products and agricultural raw materials, mineral products, machinery, equipment and vehicles. Imports to Karelia from Kazakhstan increased by 2.2 times compared to 2022 last year.
Artur Parfenchikov spoke about the products manufactured in the region, from unique Karelian strawberries, wild plants, milk to machinery and firefighting robots. The first batch of Karelian robots equipped a new mosque in Kazakhstan. Dmitry Mikhno expressed interest in increasing trade turnover between the republics and expanding trade areas. The discussion concerned both the export of cellulose products and aquaculture and mining equipment.
– I consider it my duty to make every effort to increase the trade turnover between Karelia and the Republic of Kazakhstan, – Dmitry Mikhno emphasized.
The interaction between Karelia and Kazakhstan is not limited to trade relations. The republics have organized cooperation in the cultural sphere. Thus, last year in Almaty, the Karelian Puppet Theater presented the play “Garden”, an international teleconference was held between the libraries of the republics, and the Karelia Musical Theater hosted the Festival of Young Opera Stars “OperaVita”, where the soloist from Kazakhstan Sayan Isin took part. They also plan to strengthen cooperation in the cultural sphere. It concerns both possible tours of artists and joint rehearsals, performances and interaction between educational cultural institutions of Karelia and Kazakhstan.
Besides, the parties agreed to develop cooperation in the tourism sector. Tours to Karelia are planned to be offered to the Kazakh tourists while visiting St. Petersburg.
