TEHRAN – In a letter on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran congratulated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on winning Kazakhstan’s presidential election.

In his letter, Rouhani voiced hope for closer relations between Tehran and Nursultan in all fields during the new Kazakh president’s term in order to serve common interests and enhance regional peace and stability, Tasnim reported.

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.

Iranian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Majid Saber told Tasnim last week that he anticipated the close relations between Iran and Kazakhstan to continue to grow during the new Kazakh president’s term.

“The relations between Iran and Kazakhstan are deep-rooted, age-old and based upon mutual interests. At present, Kazakhstan has a major position in Iran’s regional strategy as the most important and most stable republic in Central Asia,” Saber said.

MH/PA