Kazakhstan's president urged Ukraine on Friday to join a loose economic union between four former Soviet republics, insisting it would not infringe on national sovereignty. "Independence for Kazakhstan is issue No. 1, but this (union) represents a normal degree of integration," Nursultan Nazarbayev said during a speech in Ukraine's parliament as he wrapped up a two-day visit. Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine agreed more than two years ago to create the Common Economic Space, envisioning common tax, customs and transport tariff systems, but its implementation has stalled. Nazarbayev insisted that the union made sense, saying it could become "strong and authoritative and become advantageous for us all." The Kazakh leader's visit has been dominated by talks on energy cooperation, the Associated Press reported.
