Leningrad Region signs cooperation documents with partners in Kazakhstan

Representatives of Russia's Leningrad Region and Kazakhstan signed three cooperation documents at a roundtable in Astana. Governor Alexander Drozdenko's visit also covered port logistics, nuclear-industry training and industrial partnerships.

An implementation plan for 2026–2028 was agreed with the Zhambyl regional administration, while a memorandum of understanding was signed with Akmola Region. Baltorganic and Zhambyl Invest signed a cooperation memorandum. The Russian organic fertiliser producer expressed readiness to establish production in Kazakhstan.

Drozdenko discussed using Leningrad Region's ports for exports with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The governor said Kazakh coal and oil already pass through Ust-Luga, while rail junctions and sorting stations constrain growth. The region intends to address those bottlenecks in the coming months. Drozdenko called for contracts lasting at least three years to support port planning.

He thanked Kazakhstan for resolving technical sulphur supplies to a plant in Volkhov. The Russian delegation included ten companies already operating in Kazakhstan or considering investments. Discussions with Akmola Region covered breeding livestock, milk processing, municipal and road-maintenance machinery, polymer building materials, refrigeration equipment and smart-home systems. The use of artificial intelligence in administration was also raised.

Leningrad Region offered to train nuclear-industry specialists for Kazakhstan in Sosnovy Bor, including at its technical college. Drozdenko also discussed preferential arrangements for young people travelling there to study.

At talks with Deputy Prime Minister and National Economy Minister Serik Zhumangarin, the governor said agricultural and food-sector exports to Kazakhstan exceeded 10 thousand tonnes in the first nine months of 2026. Tea, coffee and tobacco accounted for 75% of the export volume.

The region proposed broader use of freight wagons with a 25-tonne axle load. Representatives of the Tikhvin wagon plant joined the delegation. Drozdenko said its products accounted for 15% of the freight wagon fleet on the Russian Railways network. The next step is to work on approval for such wagons to use Kazakhstan's railway infrastructure.

Trade with Kazakhstan totalled 178 million dollars in the first half of 2026. The country ranked sixth among Leningrad Region's export partners, according to the governor.

Tokayev awarded Drozdenko the Dostyk, or Friendship, order. The meetings also addressed cultural exchanges and remembrance of Kazakh defenders of Leningrad, including the Kingisepp-named 314th Rifle Division formed in Petropavlovsk. Drozdenko invited a Kazakh delegation to the region's 100th anniversary celebrations in August 2027 and proposed exchanges of performing arts groups.