Kazakhstan’s newly re-elected President Nazarbayev is to make inroads into the Russian and Chinese markets his priority for the next five years, he told a post-election rally yesterday, although he also acknowledged the importance of the EU to his plans for economic growth.
“Kazakhstan…. has no outlet to the sea,” he said, “so our Russian and Chinese neighbours are our first priority. These are huge markets for us and we must make full use of them. Our [commercial] interaction with Russia will take place within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, while we are working with China towards the revival of the Silk Road.” Cooperation with the EU and the Islamic world were also important, he added, as was the proposed rail link to the Persian Gulf via Turkmenistan and Iran that could open up the possibility of trade with India, Pakistan and the Arab countries.
Nazarbayev also professed to be embarrassed by enormity of his victory which saw him win more than 97 % of the vote. “Such margins are unacceptable for a super-democratic state and I apologize for that ….but I could do nothing. If I had interfered, it would have been undemocratic,” he protested.
Re-elected President Nazarbayev focusses on China and Russia
Source: Kapital