Kazakh President Says EEU Is Not 'Reincarnation' Of U.S.S.R.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev says the ongoing integration of the post-Soviet countries is not "the reincarnation of the Soviet Union."

Delivering a lecture to students at Moscow State University on April 28, Nazarbaev praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for his role in the integration process in Eurasia.

Nazarbaev also defined Russian-Kazakh ties as "an example of partnership between neighbors."

"Nobody chooses neighbors," he said. "They are given by god and therefore the neighbors should live in peace."

On August 29, Nazarbaev, Putin, and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka will meet in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to discuss an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which is expected to be signed next month.

The EEU, modeled on the European Union, will be based on the existing Customs Union, of which the three nations are members.
Based on reporting by KazTAG and Interfax