ASTANA -- Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon discussed bilateral relations and further co-operation between their countries at the Akorda Presidential Palace in Astana Wednesday (March 14), according to a statement from the palace.
Rahmon is visiting Astana to participate in a Central Asian conference scheduled for Thursday (March 15), the first time in many years that all Central Asian leaders have gathered at the same negotiation table.
Nazarbayev pointed out that Tajikistan is still a reliable partner for Kazakhstan, according to the statement.
"For all these years, thanks to your efforts, we have built relations based on great trust, co-operation and friendship," Nazarbayev said in the statement. "We've always supported each other, including in the international arena."
Relations between the two countries have reached new levels, according to Nazarbayev, who expressed his readiness to discuss regional and international issues with Tajikistan and other neighbouring countries during the upcoming conference.
Rahmon underlined growing Kazakhstani-Tajik economic co-operation. "We are interested in developing comprehensive and strategic relations," he said.
