Putin to speak at 17th Russia-Kazakhstan Cooperation Forum
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev are virtually participating today in the normally annual 17th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum. The forum was initially set for November 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now being held virtually following case spikes in Russia and Kazakhstan.
The theme for the three-day Forum is “Cooperation in the Field of Ecology and Green Growth.” Topics to be discussed include climate change, reducing carbon emissions and transboundary water management.
The meeting follows the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) visit to Kazakhstan to sign development contracts assisting in Kazakhstan’s green energy transition.
Kazakhstan remains an attractive regional partner to Russia as it is also part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). As such, expect Kazakhstan to sign documents with Russia to both strengthen their existing relationship while affirming its openness to green energy transitions for future investment by other international partners like the European Union. In May, President Tokayev set a goal for Kazakhstan to increase its share of renewable energy to 15% by 2030, and has been actively pursuing opportunities to make this a reality.
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