Astana, May 27 (EFE).- Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for bilateral talks with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and to participate in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit on Friday.
Tokayev welcomed Putin with full honors at Astana airport, where a military orchestra and children waving Kazakh and Russian flags awaited him. The two leaders later held a meeting at the Kazakh leader’s residence, preceded by a private lunch.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov previously told Russian media that the state visit would begin with informal talks between the two presidents.
“They have a special personal relationship that allows them to address the most pressing issues concerning both bilateral relations and the international agenda in a constructive, productive, and candid manner,” Peskov said.
This is the 39th meeting between Putin and Tokayev, and the second time Kazakhstan has hosted Putin on a state visit, a category distinguished by formal protocol honors.
“Normally, a state visit takes place once during a presidential term, but given that this is the second, it is intended, at the suggestion of our Kazakh friends, to emphasize the exceptionally high level of relations between our two countries,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on the eve of the trip.
Putin will remain in Kazakhstan until Friday, May 29, when the EAEU summit is scheduled to take place. EFE
