Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev says his country respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which has come under attack from Russia.
Writing in the National Interest magazine, Toqaev said that while Kazakhstan shared a lengthy border with Russia, it also had "a deep tradition of friendly relations with Ukraine."
"We respect its territorial integrity -- as the overwhelming majority of the world does," Toqaev wrote, adding that he hopes the fighting between Russia and Ukraine ends quickly "in accordance with the UN Charter."
"I have been in direct communications with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, urging dialogue and a peaceful settlement of hostilities. Kazakhstan is both willing and able to continue its role as international mediator," Toqaev said.
Toqaev went on in the article to talk about the deadly anti-government protests that shook Kazakhstan in early January and led to removal of his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev, from the oil-rich Central Asian state's political scene.
Toqaev called the violence that claimed at least 230 lives "a tragedy" and said that he had launched what he called "landmark reforms" to improve the situation in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic
"The country is embarking on an unprecedented decentralization of state power, enhancing checks and balances. Corruption and nepotism will not be tolerated. Concentration of political power and accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few must be reversed if this country is to prosper," Toqaev wrote.
Since the deadly violence, Toqaev has also been trying to distance himself from Nazarbaev and his system that stretched back 30 years to before the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. He announced reforms under a slogan "Let us build a new Kazakhstan!"
However, many in Kazakhstan say that Toqaev must first explain why he ordered the security forces, army, and police to shoot to kill without warning during the January protests, as well as the real reason he invited troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to Kazakhstan during the protests.
Thousands of people were detained after the demonstrations that turned into disorder, which Toqaev said were caused by "20,000 terrorists" from abroad, a claim for which he has provided no evidence.
Meanwhile, some experts have dismissed the Kazakh president's proposal to limit the powers of his office as a populist move designed to appease the public following the bloody riots, saying he is making moves that won't actually see him give up any "real" power.