You're reading: Kazakh official: Ukraine’s interest in Customs Union not hampering Kyiv’s desire to integrate into other unions

Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov, while commenting on the political situation in Ukraine, has said that the choice of options of integration should be based on the national interests of the state.

“The political choice of a model of development of each state, including the choice in favor of certain forms of integration, is the sovereign right of the state and should be based, first and foremost, on its own national interests,” he said in Kyiv at a meeting of the 20th OSCE Ministerial Council, which was held on December 5-6.

Excerpts of Idrisov’s speech were released by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

The minister also noted that Kazakhstan welcomes Ukraine’s interest in integration within the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Community.

“We do not think that this interest somehow prevents a natural search for opportunities for integration in other areas,” he said.