Kazakhstan Avoids Economic Downturn Despite Global Crisis - Nazarbayev

The construction of roads, airports and infrastructure can help wrestle down the global economic crisis, the Kazakh president said.

ASTANA (Sputnik) – Incumbent Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday said the country avoided any domestic economic crisis, there was only a global economic crisis.

“The crisis is global, there is no domestic crisis in Kazakhstan. The response to the crisis is the construction of thousands of kilometers of roads, airports and infrastructure buildings,” Nazarbayev said.

The Eurasian Economic Union is a needed project regardless of the decline in goods turnover, and Turkey has shown interest in joining the union, iNazarbayev added.

“The Eurasian Economic Union is a necessary project for our countries. Challenges that we spoke of have happened. There is criticism that goods turnover has fallen. Of course it has fallen because the dollar fell. There are already 40 countries that have shown interest in our union.”

He added that the leader of Turkey, who had just recently visited Kazakhstan, was also interested.

The Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, came into force on January 1. Kyrgyzstan's membership is expected to come into force in May. The union aims at ensuring economic integration among member states, including the free flow of goods, services, capital and labor.