Arman Shakkaliev held the first meeting of the updated Public Council

The first meeting of the updated Public Council for Trade and Integration Development was held at the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the participation of Minister Arman Shakkaliyev. The meeting was held in a hybrid format and brought together 15 Council members.

Opening the meeting, Arman Shakkaliyev introduced the new members of the Public Council and gave a brief report on the Ministry's results and key achievements. He noted that trade remains a systemically important sector of the country's economy, accounting for 19% of the gross domestic product and ranking second only to the industrial sector. The industry is home to 832,500 businesses, accounting for 35% of the total, and provides employment to approximately 1.6 million people.

"By the end of 2025, the trade volume index was 108.9%, compared to the planned figure of 107%. Investments in trade reached 1,229 billion tenge, exceeding the plan and demonstrating growth of 41.2%. "Domestic trade turnover increased by 14.6% to 79.9 trillion tenge, compared to 69.7 trillion tenge in 2024," noted Arman Shakkaliev.

During the meeting, organizational matters regarding the Public Council's activities were discussed. In accordance with paragraph 53 of the Model Regulations on the Public Council, self-nominated candidate Ruslan Mikhailovich Shaekin was unanimously elected Chairman of the Public Council for Trade Development and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan by open vote. The Regulations of the Public Council were also approved.

Arman Shakkaliev noted that the updated Council includes strong and authoritative experts representing retail and wholesale trade, the food industry, metrology, IT, and other fields. He stated that such a professional and balanced composition will enable effective and efficient work.

The Minister emphasized the agency's readiness for open, transparent, and constructive engagement with the Public Council, as well as for joint discussion and decision-making on key industry development issues.