ALMATY (TCA) — Russian President Vladimir Putin began a three-nation tour of Central Asia on February 27 with a visit to Kazakhstan. Putin heads to Tajikistan later on February 27 and visits Kyrgyzstan on February 28.
In Almaty, Putin met with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who said that Russia and Kazakhstan have built perfect relations over the past quarter of a century, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
“Over the past 25 years we have built a perfect sample of relations that should exist between friendly neighbors and countries,” Nazarbayev said at the meeting with Putin. “This year marks 25 years of our diplomatic relations.”
Among the achievements Nazarbayev mentioned the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, which had become a “promising, important affair” for all members of the EEU.
Nazarbayev also said that Russia remains Kazakhstan’s “number one partner in politics and the economy”.
At the meeting, Putin emphasized that Kazakhstan is one of Russia’s key partners.
“Yes, we mark some decline in trade turnover in terms of value, this is due to exchange rate differences, primarily from fluctuations in world market prices for our basic export goods. But in the physical volumes it remained the same. Our task is to increase the sales volumes and reach sustainable growth,” the Russian president said.
Putin added that the conditions for that have already been created through the EEU integration process.
