Russia's First Deputy PM on leading EEU country

Russia recognizes leadership of Kazakhstan in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) project and hopes it will prepare initiatives for continuing integration, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said at the forum in Astana.

"The Eurasian Economic Union is a purely economic association and is not related to politics at all. We recognize leadership of Kazakhstan in this project. The president of Kazakhstan was the founder of this idea and started promoting the Eurasian and Eurasian partnership ideas as early as in 1990s," the minister said.

Russia would like to see the leadership of Kazakhstan in development of the union, including problems of restrictions and exemptions, digital economy development, and others, he said.

"We hope looking-forward initiatives will be developed in Kazakhstan," TASS cited Shuvalov as saying.