ASTANA - Kazakhstan is “very keen” on Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari visiting the Central Asian republic and is waiting for its next big international event that would give him an opportunity to do so, a top official said.

Ansari, in fact, had been personally invited by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to attend a just-concluded global faith meet here but could not make it because of his commitments in the Indian parliament, where he is chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the legislature.

“If he had been here (at the third Congress of World and Traditional Religions), it would have added a new aura to the proceedings. Now, we will wait for the next time,” the official had remarked at a reception Nazarbayev had hosted for the delegates.

Ansari had made a huge impact during his official visit in April last year, to the extent that Nazarbayev had broken protocol to personally receive him, though this was not on the original agenda.

Protocol, in fact, is the last thing on the minds of Kazakh officials.

“Between friends, you don’t go strictly by protocol. You don’t let it govern all your actions. Therefore, whenever Mr. Ansari is in a position to come, it won’t be a bilateral visit but to do with an international event,” another official explained.

If one were to go by protocol, a Kazakh official of the vice president’s rank would have to visit India before Ansari could pay an official visit to Kazakhstan.

Nazarbayev had extended his invitation to Ansari during his visit to New Delhi, when he was chief guest at the Jan 26 Republic Day parade.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be contacted at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)