AKIPRESS.COM - Kazakhstan has responded to Belarusian criticism of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's offer to move the venue of peace talks on Ukraine from Minsk to Astana.

Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Erzhan Ashyqbaev told reporters in Astana on January 22 that his country does not doubt the importance of the Minsk negotiating platform, and "respects” the peace accords inked in the Belarusian capital.

"We are not interfering in this [Minsk] process,” Ashyqbaev said. “However, Kazakhstan is always ready to give full support to find solutions," RFE/RL reported. The Kazakh minister added that Astana would do its best to offer a new platform for the talks if such a request comes from the warring sides.

On January 19, Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey said that moving the Minsk talks to a new venue wouldn't change anything.