Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Kasim-Jomart Tokayev showed their unity on Monday, praising the historic ties between their countries after differences over the conflict in Ukraine.
“For Kazakhstan, Russia has always been and remains the main strategic partner,” Tokayev said during a meeting with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, AFP and Agerpres reported.
Tokayev hailed “deep relations in very different fields” between Moscow and Astana, saying he had “big projects for Russian capital” in Kazakhstan and vowing to do “everything possible” to ensure its “permanent” presence in his country.
It is the first visit abroad by Kazakhstan’s president since his inauguration last week for a second term as leader of Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic in hydrocarbon-rich Central Asia.
The fact that this visit is being made to Russia “has political significance and, of course, a certain symbolism,” Tokayev said.
For his part, Vladimir Putin noted the “special nature” of relations between Russia and Kazakhstan.
Tokayev called for peace in Ukraine
The leaders of the two countries also spoke via video conference at the Russian-Kazakhstan intergovernmental forum, which is held in Orenburg, not far from the border with Kazakhstan.
The start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine at the end of February caused concern among several former Soviet republics that are allies of Russia, including Kazakhstan.
Last week, during a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russian-led alliance, Tokayev called for a “joint search for a peace formula” in Ukraine. “We must not allow the fraternal Russian and Ukrainian peoples to be separated for tens or even hundreds of years, with irreparable grievances,” Tokayev insisted.
In June, during a forum in St. Petersburg, Tokayev publicly criticized his Russian colleague, where he opposed the recognition of pro-Russian separatist territories in eastern Ukraine.
Kazakhstan has also hosted tens of thousands of Russians who fled the country to escape the partial mobilization that Putin ordered in late September.
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