OREANDA-NEWS. October 21, 2011. Belarus Premier Mikhail Myasnikovich met with his Kazakhstan counterpart Karim Masimov in St Petersburg.

The two heads of government discussed trade and economic cooperation, collaboration within the Customs Union and the CIS.

Belarus attaches great attention to investment cooperation with Kazakhstan. Priority areas for such partnership are petrochemistry, industry, pharmaceutics, information and communication technologies, banking business. There is a serious potential for interregional mutual trade and investment growth between the two countries. Belarus is interested to take part in Kazakhstan’s economic modernization programs including such sectors as agriculture, mechanic engineering, housing and public utilities.

The fundamental document of bilateral relations is the program of economic cooperation between Belarus and Kazakhstan (Roadmap). At the 8th meeting in October this year the intergovernmental Belarusian-Kazakh commission for trade and economic cooperation adopted the “Roadmap” of bilateral trade and economic cooperation for 2012-2013. It contains practical steps to implement the goals set out by the heads of Belarus and Kazakhstan. Belarus is interested in further involvement in the program of economic modernization of Kazakhstan.

The trade in goods between the two countries increases annually. In 2010, the trade amounted to \\$867 million, up 2.2 times from 2009. In January-August this year, the trade reached \\$526.9 million, up 5.1% as against the same period last year.