Iran’s President Congratulates New Kazakh Leader
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s president congratulated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on winning Kazakhstan’s presidential election, expressing hope for closer ties between Tehran and Nursultan in all fields.
In a letter to Tokayev on Tuesday, Rouhani congratulated the Kazakh politician on winning the presidential election.
He also hoped that the relations between Iran and Kazakhstan would grow in all arenas during the new Kazakh president’s term in order to serve their common interests and enhance regional peace and stability.
Tokayev, the governing party’s chosen successor to Nursultan Nazarbayev, won nearly 71 percent of the vote on June 9, far ahead of his nearest rival Amirzhan Kosanov, who received only 16 percent.
Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s 78-year-old former Communist Party chief, announced in March that he was handing over his presidential powers to Tokayev, while retaining his posts as head of the security council and the governing party.
In an interview with Tasnim last week, Iran’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Majid Saber anticipated that the close relations between Iran and Kazakhstan will continue to grow during the new Kazakh president’s term.
“The relations between Iran and Kazakhstan are deep-rooted, age-old and based upon mutual interests. At present, Kazakhstan has a major position in Iran’s regional strategy as the most important and most stable republic in Central Asia,” the envoy said in the interview.
