Putin, Kazakh leaders agree to strengthen bilateral ties

MOSCOW, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Russian president Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan's former and incumbent presidents on Thursday agreed to closely coordinate their actions to promote stronger bilateral ties.

Putin held a telephone conversation with Nursultan Nazarbayev, founder of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the incumbent head of the Security Council of Kazakhstan, and Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to the Kremlin.

Putin thanked Nazarbayev for his personal contributions to the development of Russia-Kazakhstan relations and to the success of Eurasian integration.

He expressed confidence that Nazarbayev would continue to actively contribute to strengthening cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Also, Putin congratulated Tokayev on assuming office as Kazakhstan's president and wished him every success.

Nazarbayev, who had served as the Central Asian country's president since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, announced his resignation on Tuesday.

He has named Tokayev, the speaker of the upper house of the Kazakh parliament, as interim president.