Spanish Premier Zapatero looks forward to closer ties with Kazakhstan

According to the Kazakh MFA's press service, Zapatero said the main goal of his visit was to explore new areas of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Spain. "The purpose of my visit is to expand Spain's relations with Kazakhstan, the leading country in Central Asia. Over the past 20 years, we have established very good political contacts. Now we must expand our economic and trade ties," he said.

"Kazakhstan is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage, and in relations with Spain, there is great potential for further development," he added.

Zapatero said the two countries could mutually benefit from joint work in such promising areas as energy, engineering, infrastructure development and telecommunications and that he had discussed these issues in his talks with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Karim Massimov.

"I believe that both our countries have learned good lessons (from the latest global financial crunch)," he said. "Today, we must do everything in order to expand productive and innovative economy growth and not to allow economic indicators to be determined by financial growth only."

"In Kazakhstan, I was accompanied by leaders of the major Spanish companies that have signed a number of important inter-ministerial agreements that open windows of contacts for new opportunities. In addition, I planted a tree in the Alley of Heads of State in Astana and must return here to check on it," Zapatero said.

Zapatero also found time for a morning run and to visit several sites in the capital, which impressed him. "It is completely amazing to build a city like this in such a short period. It indicates the strength, energy, and power of your country," he said.

The Spanish leader said he believed Astana could host a meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations - one of his favourite initiatives. "Kazakhstan participates in the Alliance of Civilizations and is an excellent example of peaceful coexistence of peoples of different ethnicities and religions," he said.

Zapatero also discussed the current economic crises in several European countries, in particular Portugal, Ireland and Greece. He said the state debt crisis in those countries was caused by the absence of economic constraints. "The reason is that we have allowed the economy to be self-regulating. The current problems must teach Europe that politics should be present in the future of our economies."

"It is important that the economies did not grow on the basis of credits solely, but showed increase in productivity," he added.

Zapatero said he believed the most important quality for a politician to have was "the ability to anticipate risks."

Zapatero said his political career began in 1979 when he became a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). In 2000, he assumed the position of the Party's Secretary General. In 2004, when his party won 42.6 per cent of the vote, he became Prime Minister of Spain.

Zapatero has implemented his "New Way" strategy by withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq, declaring amnesty for illegal immigrants, and establishing a special court for cases of violence against women.

During his public speeches, Zapatero has often said his political convictions were strongly influenced by the memory of his grandfather Juan Rodriguez Lozano who was shot by Gen. Francisco Franco's dictatorial regime which ruled Spain from 1936 to 1975.