Trade turnover between Russia and Kazakhstan decreased last year due to the crisis and reached 13 billion U.S. dollars, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in a meeting with his Kazakhstani counterpart Karim Masimov on Wednesday, Itar-Tass reported.
"The crisis has an effect on trade interaction," Putin said. "Trade turnover decreased by one third practically and reached 13 billion U.S. dollars."
At the same time, the Russian prime minister stressed that trade cooperation between the two countries would not stop and would develop.
In his words, much was done for this end, including within the Customs Union.
Masimov said the Customs Union commission would gather on May 21. "We did much. We will hope to do our work in time," he added.
The structures, which have been created within the Customs Union, continue their work. Masimov also said his meeting with Putin would focus on bilateral cooperation, energy issues, space interaction, as well as contacts in nuclear and high technologies.
In 2008 trade turnover between Russia and Kazakhstan amounted to about 20 billion U.S. dollars.