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An International IMEMO-KISI Conference was held in Alma-Ata.

The conference was held in accordance with the agreement on research cooperation between IMEMO and KISI (Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan).
The conference was devoted to the current state of and the prospects for economic cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan.
G.I. Chufrin, Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences, IMEMO Deputy Director, and V.B. Amirov, Senior researcher, Executive Secretary of the IMEMO Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, made presentations on behalf of IMEMO. For the publication of the conference proceedings, IMEMO contributed two papers: by V.V. Mikheyev, Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of Section, and by Dr. D.B. Malysheva, Leading researcher.
On the part of Russia, presentations were also made by G.A. Rudov, Head of the Center for World Economy and World Affairs (Diplomatic Academy of Russian Foreign Ministry); V.A. Molodtsov, Head of the Alma-Ata Office of Russia’s Trade Mission in Kazakhstan; V.A. Yasinsky, Analytic Unit Director of the Eurasian Development Bank, and N.N. Novikov, Deputy Head of the Representative Office of the Russian Customs Service in Kazakhstan.
On the part of Kazakhstan, presentations were made by B.K. Sultanov, Director of KISI; M.E. Shaikhutdinov, Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Center, Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan; A.A. Bashmakov, member of the Senate Chamber of the Parliament of Kazakhstan; S.D. Primbetov, Deputy Secretary General of the Inter-State Council, EurAsEC; L.N. Muzaparova, Deputy Director of the Institute of World Economy and Politics under the 1st President of Kazakhstan Foundation; G.G. Rakhmatullina, Chief researcher, KISI, and others.

The discussion covered broad issues of economic cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, their strategic partnership or their relations as allies, development of trade and mutual investment, their interaction in the field of energy (electrical and nuclear energy including), banking, prospects for a ruble zone and mid-term prospects for a Customs Union within the framework of the EurAsEC and free trade area (FTA) between Russia and Kazakhstan, cooperation in their simultaneous entry into the WTO, as well as their interaction the third countries, both those inside the region and outsiders.

It was agreed to hold the next bilateral conference on economic cooperation, particularly in banking and finance, between Russia and Kazakhstan in the first half of the year 2007 in IMEMO, Moscow.