ASTANA, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - The concept of a union of Central Asian states should be ready and submitted to national leaders for consideration and coordination by late September 2005, the president of Kazkhstan said Thursday.
Speaking at a joint session of the Kazakh parliament in the capital, Astana, Nursultan Nazarbayev said: "If the key ideas of this union are adopted and supported, I believe this will become an important factor of the entire region's stable sustainable development, and, of course will improve the welfare of people living here."
Nazarbayev said his country and the international community were both interested in preserving stability and prosperity in the whole Central Asian region. "This was why the Central Asia integration initiative I announced in February this year emerged," he said.
The Kazakh president said no narrow Kazakh ambitions were behind the idea. "I am certain this corresponds to the long-term interests of the fraternal nations living in the region," Nazarbayev said. He added that the idea of the union had been welcomed internationally.
