Kazakhstan and Armenia have never had any problems and have good relations. This is what First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev said during his meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is on a working visit to Kazakhstan.

Nursultan Nazarbayev welcomed the Prime Minister of Armenia to the Republic of Kazakhstan and stated the following:

“Dear Nikol Pashinyan, thank you for coming to participate in the anniversary summit of the Eurasian Economic Union. Kazakhstan and Armenia have never had any problems and have godo relations. The Armenians of Kazakhstan are our citizens. They unite us Kazakhs. Recently, there has been more trade between our countries, but the trade relations have been lagging due to bad logistics. We have things to exchange with each other, and we have to work in this direction.

You know that I made the decision to resign after thinking deeply. When you reach my age and have the experience I have, you will understand me better. June 20^th would mark thirty years of my term as President of Kazakhstan. In 1989, I was elected First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, and before that, I was a government official. I have worked hard and have seen many things. In the last years of independence, we managed to increase Kazakhstan’s reputation, and I believed it was time for me to resign. However, I continue to work. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been working with me for 30 years. He is very educated, and I am certain that our relations with Armenia will be as good as they were before my resignation.”

Expressing gratitude to Nursultan Nazarbayev for the cordial reception, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated the following: “Thank you Mr. Nazarbayev. Of course, I am glad to visit your country, the capital of which was built by you. You are a political leader who symbolizes an entire era. You participated in the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States and actively participated in the creation of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia is a CIS country and founding member of the CSTO. Everyone knows that you proposed the idea of Eurasian integration. This year marks the 25^th anniversary of Eurasian integration and the 5^th anniversary of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. Of course, Armenia is very excited about the events taking place in Kazakhstan and the political changes that you have initiated.

We are certain that your initiative is for the benefit of Kazakhstan and the Kazakh people. Of course, by the Constitution, you remain the leader of the nation and the chairperson of the National Security Council. You will continue to play an active role in the Eurasian Economic Union, and tomorrow we will adopt a relevant decision on that. I am certain that Armenia will have the same cordial and constructive ties with the new President of Kazakhstan. Yes, Armenia and Kazakhstan have great political relations, but unfortunately, rather low volumes of activity in the economic sector. I believe there is an opportunity to work in this direction since new opportunities are being created in the 21^st century. We have great and very cordial relations. You have made great personal contributions to those relations, and I hope and am certain that the relations will continue with that spirit.”

Nikol Pashinyan and Nursultan Nazarbayev exchanged views on Kazakh-Armenian relations, touched upon the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and attached importance to peace and stability in the region.