Putin, Nazarbayev to hold inter-regional cooperation forum in Atyrau next week
MOSCOW. Sept 24 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is to pay a working visit to the city of Atyrau in Kazakhstan on September 30, where he and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will attend the eleventh Russian-Kazakh Inter-Regional Cooperation Forum.
The topic of the forthcoming Forum is "Hydrocarbon Innovations," the Kremlin said. Among attendees are heads of key ministries and government departments, several regional governors from Russia and Kazakhstan and representatives of big corporations.
Both countries have been taking turns to host such annual meetings in their regions since 2003. The previous one took place in Yekaterinburg.
Prior to the Forum's plenary session, the presidents will hold a separate meeting to discuss the pressing issues of the Russian-Kazakh relationship and economic-integration cooperation within the framework of the fledgling Eurasian Economic Union.
A number of joint documents are expected to be signed, including cooperation agreements between Russian and Kazakh regions, the Russian president's press office said.
