AKIPRESS.COM - Russia and Kazakhstan may raise the share of settlements in national currencies to 75% from the current 63%, Deputy Economic Development Minister Sergei Gorkov at a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan on Friday, Tass reports.

"Currently settlements between Kazakhstan and Russia in national currencies account for 63%," he said, adding that the share "may reach 70-75%."

Earlier he said that historically CIS countries and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member-states rank the first in terms of settlements in national currencies with Russia, virtually followed by China.

After the meeting of the intergovernmental commission, First Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told journalists that the plan is to achieve the announced targets within the next 1-2 years. "Today around 60% of all payments (between Russia and Kazakhstan) are made in national currencies, which is beneficial to our enterprises, our participants of foreign economic activities," he said, adding that the plan is to "bring that indicator to over 70%."