Nazarbayev's press secretary commented on his meeting with Putin

The press secretary of the former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, Aidos Ukibai, commented on his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, held in Moscow on May 29.

According to the press secretary, the visit of the ex-head of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian capital was of a personal, unofficial nature.

"He and Vladimir Putin have long-standing friendly relations that persist regardless of the availability of state powers," Ukibai said.

He added that Nazarbayev maintains contacts with a number of world leaders. According to him, in addition to Russia, this applies to Turkey, China, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Belarus and other countries.

"Such a format of interaction corresponds to international practice and reflects personal ties that have developed over the years of government activity," the press secretary said on this occasion.

According to the representative of the former head of state, communication with influential politicians who are not in public service in the format of personal meetings is a generally accepted diplomatic protocol.

He recalled that on the day of the meeting with Nazarbayev, the Russian president also received Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

As for the visit of the former President of Kazakhstan, he, according to Ukibai, received an invitation to events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory, but could not attend them due to objective circumstances.

"I also want to emphasize that Nursultan Nazarbayev permanently resides in Kazakhstan. Reports about his departure from the country do not correspond to reality," Ukibai concluded.