Kazakh ambassador summoned by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry over President Tokayev's claims about Crimea
KYIV/NUR-SULTAN. Dec 5 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Ukraine Samat Ordabayev has been summoned by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev denied the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the ministry stated on its website.
"The Ukrainian side expressed its concern over how the position of Kazakhstan is being perceived regarding the attempt by Russia to annex Ukraine's Crimea illegally, which was published on the Russian-language website of the German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle," the statement reads.
"The meeting resulted in the two sides reaffirming their strong commitment to the principles of mutual respect for independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the sanctity of borders enshrined in the Ukrainian-Kazakhstani friendship and cooperation agreement of January 20, 1994, which forms the foundation of our bilateral relations and cooperation."
The Kazakh president had told Deutsche Welle prior to his trip to Germany that he did not see the reunification of Crimea and Russia as "annexation."