Russia says it gives priority to strengthening 'good neighborly' relations with Kazakhstan

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Monday said that his country gives priority to strengthening "good neighborly" relations with Kazakhstan.

“We give priority to strengthening good neighborly and allied relations with Kazakhstan. They are based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, strategic partnership and the historical friendship of our peoples,” Mishustin said during his meeting with his visiting Kazakh counterpart Olzhas Bektenov in the capital Moscow.

Expressing that Bektenov’s arrival to Russia as his first foreign visit since assuming his post reflects the nature of the "special relationship" between the two countries, Mishustin said that he is ready to work constructively with him on the entire agenda of bilateral cooperation.

He further said that their main task is to ensure the implementation of all decisions and agreements reached by the Russian and Kazakh presidents, expressing that cooperation between the two countries are developing successfully “despite the turbulence in the global economy.”

“I am confident that Russia and Kazakhstan have enormous potential for cooperation in the field of transport and logistics infrastructure,” he said, adding that they pay special attention to the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor.

“I am convinced that in the future it will become a global transport artery in the interests of all states of the Eurasian region,” he went on to say, indicating that their countries are working “fruitfully” in the Eurasian Economic Union.

For his part, Bektenov expressed his confidence that the governments of both countries will make every effort to implement all the agreements reached between their presidents.

He said they have things to work on and discuss considering that trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan is developing upward.

“There are a number of large industrial and energy projects that will be implemented in the near future or have already been implemented. Therefore, I think we have something to discuss, something to work on. Both I personally and my colleagues are completely ready for fruitful cooperation,” he added.