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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Tokayev,

Once again, good afternoon.

Thank you very much for coming to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

It is important for us to emphasise our special relationship and, of course, to have an opportunity to compare views with you personally on major issues, primarily on the economy, of course.

This was just mentioned at the forum. By the way, I think I made a slip of the tongue there. I mentioned a $7 billion investment but actually we have invested $17 billion in the economy of Kazakhstan.

Our trade is growing. You just said so yourself. Last year it amounted to $25 billion and exceeded $12 billion in the first three months. If it continues like this, we will set a record.

This year we will observe the 30^th anniversary of diplomatic relations. We will celebrate this as well. And the regional forum is still ahead. In general, our governments are working very intensively. Times are difficult and they are looking for solutions to every arising issue.

We will have an opportunity to talk about this now, both here during the talks and informally at the informal dinner.

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev:

Mr Putin,

I was pleased to receive your invitation to take part in this prestigious forum.

I listened to your remarks with interest. Your speech was basically an address to the nation in content and length. The audience listened with interest. I think there will be a very good response to it throughout the world.

As for bilateral cooperation, there is no reason to worry. Everything is going fine. We are working on specific industrial and agricultural projects. Investment cooperation is making steady headway.

This year is special, indeed – the 30^th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

In other words, we have every reason to talk about our great success in developing bilateral cooperation, and I think we will continue developing this positive momentum.

Yes, indeed, there are some questions that require clarification. We can discuss them at the next bilateral meeting or during the dinner.

Thank you again for your invitation.

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