"My principled position is that Russia is absolutely crucial for Kazakhstan as it is a large neighboring country, which is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council," he said when asked why he had made his first foreign visit as Kazakhstan’s president to Russia. "However, without Kazakhstan, Russia would be somewhat different," Tokayev added.

Axar.az reports citing TASS that, the Kazakh president pointed out that the land border between the two countries was the longest in the world.

"We held very good and substantive talks in Moscow. We signed joint statements. The Russian president did not put forward any demands, as you have put it, concerning guarantees or anything like that, because we have a common understanding of the need to boost cooperation," Tokayev noted in response to the question if Russian President Vladimir Putin had demanded he provide any guarantees or make any obligations.