Kazakhstan's Abai, Russia's Omsk Ink Deal On Joint Dev't Of Irtysh River

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 2. A protocol on the joint use and development of the Irtysh River, as well as an Interaction Plan on international and foreign economic relations for 2025-2028, was signed between the administration of the Abai region of Kazakhstan and the government of the Omsk region of Russia, Trend reports.

This signing took place during a working visit of the delegation from the Omsk region of the Russian Federation, headed by the Deputy Chairman of the Government and official representative of the Omsk region to the Government of the Russian Federation, Andrei Shpilenko.

During the meeting with the delegation, the Akim (governor) of the Abai region, Berik Uali, noted that the partnership ties between the region and the Omsk region have a long history, and that the current visit will give new development to this cooperation.

“Omsk region is a region closely connected with Kazakhstan historically, culturally, and economically. I am confident that this visit will mark the beginning of new joint projects and ideas,” said Berik Uali.

Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Omsk region, Andrei Shpilenko, thanked the regional leadership for the warm welcome and conveyed greetings from the Chairman of the Government of the Omsk region, Vitaly Khotsenko.

“We are ready to implement joint projects in all areas. In particular, we want to develop the transboundary Irtysh River together and open tourist routes. We are interested in cooperation not only in cultural and humanitarian fields but also in the economic sphere,” he noted

In the course of the meeting, Shpilenko also invited the Akim of the Abai region to the international cross-border forum "Irtysh – River of Friendship and Development," which will be held in Omsk in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The regional head, in turn, emphasized that the proposals voiced will not go unnoticed and confirmed the readiness of the Abay region to jointly implement projects with the Omsk region.

According to him, currently, there are 178 large enterprises with Russian capital participation operating in the region. As a result, the volume of investments is steadily growing. For example, in 2024, the volume of investments attracted from Russia amounted to $507 million.

In the first five months of 2025, the trade turnover between the Kazakhstan's Abai region and the Russian Federation amounted to $128.6 million. Exports totaled $67.8 million, and imports were $70.4 million.

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