Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev, speaking at a briefing in Germany, commented on his earlier statement made in Omsk about the need to freeze the war and assessed the current situation in Russia, according to infohub.kz.
The question was posed to the head of state by ARD television correspondent Demian von Osten. The journalist asked the Kazakh president to comment on his remark in Omsk about the need to freeze the war and to assess the state of affairs in Russia.
"Today I said with considerable conviction that President Putin, as a statesman and as the leader of Russia, is the most acceptable political figure — strange as it may sound to you — both for Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, and for Europe and the whole world. I know him very well; he possesses the qualities most needed by the leader of a large state with a complex history, with his own understanding of the strategic goals facing his country," Qasym-Jomart Toqaev said.
The Kazakh president also stressed that everyone is concerned about what is happening in Ukraine. According to him, from the very beginning he has said that Kazakhstan would adhere to the provisions of the United Nations Charter.
"We insist on respect for and preservation of the principle of the territorial integrity of all states. From the very beginning we have said that we have great respect for the Ukrainian people, their history, culture, traditions and, of course, the Ukrainian language," the head of state noted.
In addition, Qasym-Jomart Toqaev clarified the meaning of his statement about freezing the war. "I did not say that the war must be stopped immediately. I understand that in current conditions that would probably be unrealistic. I am talking about freezing military operations on the territory of Ukraine in order to move to a process of diplomatic or any other negotiations," his words were quoted by Akorda.