Kazakhstan says leader’s presence at Moscow parade demonstrates partnership with Russia

MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s presence at a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two can be regarded as "a clear demonstration" of partnership and alliance between Russia and the Central Asian former Soviet republic, the speaker of Kazakhstan's Senate upper house of parliament said on Tuesday. "The president of Kazakhstan was on Red Square together with other heads of state and the Russian president. I believe this was a clear demonstration of cooperation, partnership and alliance between our countries," Senate Speaker Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said after talks with his Russian counterpart Valentina Matviyenko, adding that participation of Kazakhstan’s soldiers and veterans in the May 9 parade also demonstrated unity of the two nations celebrating together the Great Victory. Russia is Kazakhstan’s "overriding priority", Tokayev said. "We understand the importance of cooperation with Russia and take practical steps to give concrete substance to strategic partnership and alliance between our states," he said. Tokayev called for further development of inter-parliamentary ties between the countries and invited Federation Council Speaker Matviyenko to visit Kazakhstan. Matviyenko noted that they had very extensive discussions with Tokayev. "Our inter-parliamentary cooperation is an important part of interstate relations between Russia and Kazakhstan which are strategic and allied in nature," she said. "The tune and content of cooperation between our states are determined by the heads of state but we are doing our best to ensure that the level of inter-parliamentary cooperation corresponds [to interstate cooperation]," Matviyenko added. Read more