Kazakhstan: Astana Pushes for Regional Meeting to Address Economic Crisis

Kazakhstan has invited leaders from other CIS countries to participate in an unofficial summit to discuss potential responses to the deepening global financial crisis, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry has announced.

The presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have reportedly accepted invitations to convene at the resort town of Borovoe in northern Kazakhstan on December 19, CA-News reported.

"During the meeting the presidents are supposed to exchange opinions on topical issues of development of regional cooperation, as well as deal with problems resulting from the global financial crisis," said Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman, Erzhan Ashikbayev.

The meeting will take place amid worsening economic indicators from Russia, including rising inflation and unemployment, shrinking industrial output and the fall of the Russian rouble to a four year low on December 16.