Putin to visit Kazakhstan in late May for Eurasian bloc summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan in late May, the Kremlin said on Monday.

According to a Kremlin statement, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited Putin to make a state visit to Kazakhstan in conjunction with the upcoming meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Astana in late May.

"Vladimir Putin confirmed he would attend the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council to be held in late May in Astana. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited the president of Russia to make a state visit to Kazakhstan in conjunction with attending the event. His invitation was gratefully accepted," the statement said.

The two leaders also discussed the development of bilateral economic relations and exchanged views on international issues, the Kremlin said.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is the governing body of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a regional economic cooperation organization comprising several Eurasian states. Founded in January 2015, the EAEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.