Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has called for an agreement on friendship with Russia to be updated, the presidential press service reported on Wednesday.
The statement came during Russian parliament speaker Sergei Naryshkin’s visit to Kazakhstan.
“This year is very important for us,” Nazarbayev was quoted as saying. “In May, we will mark the 20th anniversary since the signing of the agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between Kazakhstan and Russia… Taking into account the new directions of Kazakh-Russian cooperation, as well as modern realities… this agreement should be modernized.”
The Russian-Kazakh integration process, including the creation of the Customs Union and Common Economic Space requires “new goals and objectives to be set,” he added.
The Customs Union, an economic alliance which removes customs barriers between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, was established in 2010. The Common Economic Space between the three countries took effect from January 1 this year.
In November 2011, the three countries’ presidents signed a declaration on Eurasian economic integration, a roadmap for creating a Eurasian Economic Union. It is expected to come into existence by 2015.