President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made the comments as the West says Russia could attack Ukraine and after Moscow-led troops intervened in Kazakhstan's bloody political crisis last month. Speaking in an interview with the state-funded broadcaster Qazaqstan, Tokayev said Putin had personally assured him "that the territorial issue would never be raised." Kazakhstan and Russia share one of the world's longest land borders at nearly 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) long. In recent years Russian lawmakers, including at least two from Putin's United Russia party, have questioned how Kazakhstan acquired its vast territory. But Tokayev on Thursday described Russia as "a God-given neighbor" and the lawmakers' statements as "unreasonable and inappropriate."

Source: Manila Times February 19, 2022 04:17 UTC