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The Russian President said that the informal summit of CIS countries’ leaders held in Kazakhstan was effective, useful and timely. Many turbulent events have occurred since the last meeting of CIS leaders and the need had arisen to synchronise responses to many problems, the President said.

The Kazakh President proposed that Russia which, in his opinion, had a considerable personnel and analytical potential, should submit a new draft of the CIS countries’ development programme at their next summit, to be held in Chisinau that spring. According to Nursultan Nazarbayev, the discussion and adoption of this document would help the CIS countries to advance together towards their internationally recognised integration.

Kazakhstan’s President underlined the importance of multilateral cooperation in the energy sector, with the CIS countries accounting for 40% of the world’s gas reserves and for 7% to 10% of its oil reserves. These huge reserves may have an influence on the world economy, therefore the CIS countries should negotiate on this issue instead of competing, he said.

After his meeting with the Kazakh president, Vladimir Putin told journalists that he thinks the statement on gas cooperation signed recently by the leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan may help stabilise the world economy.

The Russian President mentioned the law on citizenship currently being discussed in Russia. He called it a forced measure taken to bring the process of migration to Russia under control. Vladimir Putin cited two examples: in Moscow, only 12 people out of 600,000 citizens of one of the Caucasian republics have tax payer’s certificates; and in St Petersburg 420 people have been registered in a 9.5 sq m room. According to Vladimir Putin, migration has turned into a “gray business” from which both the state and people are suffering.

The Russian President thinks that the problems of people living abroad should not be resolved at the expense of people living in Russia. At the same time, the President noted that Russia was interested in the return of Russian compatriots to their homeland, as well as the influx of labour.

The President added that the new law on Russian citizenship would have little effect on relations with Kazakhstan as Russia had signed an intergovernmental agreement with that country on a simplified procedure for granting citizenship.