ello (@piers)

#Putin: "Mr President, colleagues, friends, allow me to warmly welcome you all once again in Omsk, Russia. "**This is the 22nd Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum**. And, as I have just said at our bilateral working meeting, the first such forum of regional representatives from our countries took place right here, in Omsk, in 2003. Since then, such fora have become a good tradition and are being held regularly. "I was just recalling one thing: we know that President Tokayev was delighted to visit Omsk also because, in the winter of 1945, his father, Kemel Tokayev, was treated in a military hospital in this city, after being seriously wounded at the front. "This is what I wanted to say in the beginning, and, if I may, I will make my small introduction right now and then give the floor to the President of Kazakhstan. "This time the forum has brought together over 650 representatives of Russia and Kazakhstan, including heads of Russian constituent entities and Kazakhstan regions, deputy prime ministers, heads of ministries, members of parliament, entrepreneurs, experts – in short, all those who are deeply involved in the practical development of bilateral relations in the economic, political and social spheres. "I would like to highlight that during the talks we just had with the President of Kazakhstan, we highly appreciated the active involvement of the regions in advancing the full scope of the Russia-Kazakhstan partnership. It is largely thanks to the coordinated efforts of regional authorities and businesses that trade is picking up and mutual investment flows are increasing. "Thus, in 2025 our mutual trade reached almost $29 billion, and the amount of Russian investments in Kazakhstan’s economy exceeded $30 billion. "Major joint projects in energy, engineering, automotive and chemical industries are being implemented as part of a large-scale bilateral programme of interregional cooperation through to 2028. "We see how delegation exchanges between the leadership and legislators of the regions are expanding with every year. There are diverse endeavours in science and education, culture, and sports. Contacts between the two countries’ civic associations, social movements and youth are being strengthened. "The interregional partnership relied on an extensive contractual and legal framework. A number of new agreements, memoranda and commercial contracts are being signed by the regions in Omsk these days. "This year’s Forum of Regions is dedicated to an extremely relevant topic: the interaction of Russia and Kazakhstan in the formation of a global transport and logistics ecosystem. The potential for collaboration here is truly boundless because our countries are located at the crossroads of the main trade routes in Eurasia. "The shortest and most cost-effective transport, cargo, and passenger routes run through Russia and Kazakhstan. This creates natural prerequisites for aligning and integrating our national transport systems for cooperation in upgrading and modernising logistics infrastructure, digitalisation, and in simplifying customs procedures to ensure favourable conditions for international transit. "Our countries are already doing a lot in these areas, including together with our partners in the Eurasian Economic Union. Moreover, Russia and Kazakhstan are at the forefront of their respective integration efforts. A common market for transport and logistics services is emerging in the EAEU, a phased liberalisation of the mutual transportation regime is underway, tariffs are being unified, and e-document management is developing. "Looking at the truly successful Eurasian projects, I would like to single out the introduction of electronic CRMs, as well as the use of navigation seals that speed up border control procedures. "A promising initiative for the creation of the Eurasian Digital Transport Corridor is in the making. We are talking about using AI technologies to build optimal transport chains and enable paperless cargo traffic monitoring. "Russia and Kazakhstan are actively cooperating in the development of the international North-South Transport Corridor. Its eastern branch links Russian ports on the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Arctic, as well as regions in central Russia, including Siberia, with Turkmenistan and Iran via Kazakhstan. Freight traffic along this corridor continues to grow steadily. Over the first five months of this year alone, shipments increased by 10%. "A key priority for our countries is expanding the capacity of transit and customs infrastructure along our shared land border, which is the longest in the world, stretching nearly 7,500 kms. Obviously, border regions are extensively involved in this [...]." Kremlin (25.7.26); p (6) http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/80334