Tasnim – Iran’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the results of the recent presidential election in Kazakhstan, hoping for closer ties with the Central Asian nation under Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s presidency.

In a statement on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi welcomed Kazakhstan’s handling of the presidential election which resulted in a popular transition of power.

He also wished success for the new Kazakh president and his government, and growing welfare and prosperity for the Kazakh people.

The spokesman also expressed hope that the relations between Iran and Kazakhstan would maintain the positive and growing trend, like the past, during Tokayev’s tenure.

Tokayev, the governing party’s chosen successor to Nursultan Nazarbayev, won nearly 71 percent of the vote on June 9, far ahead of his nearest rival Amirzhan Kosanov, who received only 16 percent.

Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s 78-year-old former Communist Party chief, announced in March that he was handing over his presidential powers to Tokayev, while retaining his posts as head of the security council and the governing party.

In a letter to Tokayev on Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani congratulated the Kazakh politician on winning the presidential election, and hoped that the bilateral relations would grow in all arenas to serve the common interests of the two countries and enhance regional peace and stability.