Artur Parfenchikov signed a Memorandum on Cooperation between the Government of Karelia and the northeastern region of Kazakhstan
The parties agreed to cooperate in the trade, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian, social, and cultural fields.
Anticipating the international stone processing forum taking place in Petrozavodsk on September 26, the Head of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov met with the delegation from one of the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
– This is the fourth time our region has hosted the Karelia Forum, which is the only one of its kind in the European part of Russia. This year, over 100 representatives from Russian regions and abroad are participating. The forum aims to meet the needs of stone businesses as well as to provide an opportunity to appreciate aesthetics of our stone by implementing interesting projects, – said Artur Parfenchikov. – I invite you to attend the opening of the stone processing industry exhibition and the plenary session as part of the forum.
During the meeting, the Head of the Republic briefed the delegation on the regional key development areas, noting that industry accounts for 40% of the Karelian economy. The key industries include forestry, mining, electric power, food, chemicals, and metalworking, which make a significant contribution not only to the regional economy but also to the entire economy of the country. Karelia produces approximately 20% of iron ore pellets, over 13% of pulp, and 50% of newsprint.
Due to the Karelian Government efforts to expand state support for business, the region now occupies the leading position in the national rankings for industrial development and investment attraction. This has yielded tangible results: over the past seven years, Karelia has demonstrated steady investment growth, increasing from 41.6 billion rubles in 2017 to 103.6 billion rubles by the end of 2024, or a 42% increase in comparable prices.
Subsoil use continues to generate significant investment interest. In recent years, block stone, crushed stone, and sand have enjoyed steady demand. Natural resource extraction contributes to improvement of the republic social and economic situation, provides employment, and helps develop related industries.
The parties paid special attention to existing trade relations. The Republic of Kazakhstan is a traditional trading partner of Karelia. The Karelian main exports include food products, wood products, pulp, paper and cardboard, and ferrous metals. Kazakhstan supplies Karelia with equipment and mechanical devices.
In addition to trade and economic ties, Karelia and Kazakhstan cooperate in the educational and cultural spheres. The students from Kazakhstan study medicine at Petrozavodsk State University. They study classical singing, musicology, and other specialties at Petrozavodsk State Conservatory. The Karelian students pursue educational programs at the universities in Kazakhstan. This cooperation includes theater festivals and other cultural events. Artur Parfenchikov noted that all this contributes to strengthening of the social and economic ties.
The key outcome of the meeting was signing of a Memorandum on Cooperation between the Government of Karelia and the Akimat of the Abay Region. The document lays the foundation for a long-term partnership between the regions and aims to expand ties in trade, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian, social, and cultural spheres.
The delegation from the Republic of Kazakhstan was represented by the Deputy Akim of the Abai region Meirlan Rakhanov. He expressed confidence that signing of the Memorandum will provide impetus for the joint projects development.
– It's a great honor for us to be her. We're interested in the long-term cooperation. Karelia and the Abai region have much in common. We share great cultural traditions and rich natural resources. Economically, we share interests in agriculture, woodworking, energy, and manufacturing. We're ready to explore joint projects in all the areas we've just discussed, – said Meirlan Rakhanov. – We see great opportunities in education and science for student exchanges and joint research in a number of fields.
To implement the agreements in practice, the parties will soon begin developing specific programs and plans, joint working groups will be formed for this purpose.
– Karelia is open to mutually beneficial cooperation with Kazakhstan, – emphasized Artur Parfenchikov. – I am confident that by combining our efforts, resources, and expertise, we can take the relations between our regions to a qualitatively new level.
The Kazakh delegation's visit will continue with active participation in the events of the “Karelforum-2025” and the visits to the key industrial enterprises in the region to explore their potential on-site.
