MINSK, 20 March (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has had a phone conversation with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev who announced his resignation starting from 20 March 2019, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.
The Belarusian head of state noted that it was with great regret that he heard the news about the resignation of his friend. Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that Nursultan Nazarbayev had been his partner and friend for many years; together they took important decisions in bilateral and multilateral formats, took part in large-scale summits and international forums. The conversation was very cordial.
Alexander Lukashenko and Nursultan Nazarbayev agreed to meet during the anniversary summit of the Eurasian Economic Union that will take place in Astana in May 2019 to discuss cooperation prospects. After all, the Kazakh leader remains Chairman of the National Security Council, a powerful body in Kazakhstan's government hierarchy. This body is in charge of domestic and foreign relations and has a say in personnel policy.
Apart from that, being the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev has a legal status of “leader of the nation” according to the constitution. Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that Nursultan Nazarbayev deserved this status, as modern-day Kazakhstan was built due to the efforts and vision of Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the speaker of the upper house of parliament, will take over as the country's acting president. Alexander Lukashenko knows him personally, as they met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference Core Group in Minsk. Back then the dialogue was constructive, which suggests continuity of good relations at the highest level.
All in all, the two leaders reaffirmed commitment to maintaining friendly contacts between the two governments and the two nations.
