ASTANA, July 5. /TASS/. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the importance of boosting Astana’s strategic partnership with Moscow at a meeting with Kazakhstan’s recently appointed ambassador to Russia, Dauren Abayev, the presidential press service said in a statement.

"The head of state emphasized that further boosting the strategic partnership with the Russian Federation was a top priority. The president assigned a number of objectives for [ambassador] Dauren Abayev, aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation," the statement reads.

On June 16, President Tokayev relieved Yermek Kosherbayev of his post as Astana’s envoy to Moscow, appointing him as governor of the East Kazakhstan Region. On July 3, Tokayev appointed Abayev, formerly deputy secretary general of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Kazakh culture minister, as Kazakhstan’s new ambassador to Russia.