Modi arrives in Astana

Astana: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday received by Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov when he arrived here on the second leg of his Central Asian tour.

"I am happy to be in Kazakhstan, India's very valued friend in Central Asia," Modi said in a tweet, while also sharing an image of him and his Kazakh counterpart.

"Thank you PM Karim Massimov for the memorable welcome," he added.

Modi is currently on a visit to the five Central Asian nations of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as Russia, where he will participate in the BRICS and SCO Summit.

His visit started on Monday, from Uzbekistan, which he described as "memorable".