Astana Not Planning To Create, Join Any Union State - Presidential Press Secretary

ASTANA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2023) Kazakhstan does not intend or plan to create or join any union state, Ruslan Zheldibay, the press secretary of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said on Friday.

Tokayev took part in a plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum � an annual business event of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) � in Moscow on Wednesday. The president then said that there are different levels of integration within the EAEU, recalling that the Union State of Russia and Belarus is a part of the EAEU.

"Regarding our country, Kazakhstan does not intend and does not plan to create or join any union state," Zheldibay said on social media.

The secretary said Russia and Belarus indeed demonstrate a higher and closer level of rapprochement.

"This is a unique precedent. As the head of state noted, in fact, we are talking about one people and one state. And in this regard, it is very important to share the initiatives of the two integration projects that have absolutely different goals," he added.

Zheldibay said Tokayev's "key message is that the integration within the EAEU can and should exclusively follow the economic path."

"Going beyond its framework violates the goals, principles and objectives of the charter documents of the organization. As the president noted, economic integration is not an end goal but one of the means to develop economies and improve the well-being of our peoples. That is, any decisions made within the framework of the union should bring results to each individual participant and, above all, to the citizens of all EAEU states," the press secretary said.