ASTANA, January 3. /TASS/. The upcoming presidential election in Russia are of particular interest to Kazakhstan due to close relations between Astana and Moscow, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper.

"In terms of elections, this year will be a landmark year for many countries. In addition to Russia, election campaigns will be held in the US, Azerbaijan, the UK, India and other countries, and there will also be elections to the European Parliament. Of course, we will closely follow these electoral processes. Presidential elections in Russia, of course, are of particular interest to us because of the high level of relations between Astana and Moscow," he said.

Tokayev highlighted that Russia plays an extremely important role in global politics and has the status of a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is a leader who with his words and actions, essentially shapes the global agenda. Russia's opinion is reckoned with all over the world. No world problem is solved without the involvement of this country, and this is a fact. Therefore, the presidential election in a country like Russia will be of great international importance and will attract the attention of most countries in the world," the Kazakh president said.