President Putin referred to Kazakhstan as one of Russia’s key strategic partners not only in the CIS and Central Asia but in general. He stressed that Kazakhstan is among the leaders of integration and largely serves as a locomotive of integration processes in the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Community.
Mr Putin drew the attention of the new ambassador to the numerous border issues between Russia and Kazakhstan, which had transcended the boundaries of bilateral relations. The issues of how the state border will be arranged and equipped, where the border line will pass, and when the process will be completed are very important for Russia, in particular as regards its relations with the European Union.
The President praised the progress in economic cooperation, especially in the energy sector, as well as the humanitarian aspect of Russian-Kazakh relations.