ALMATY, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Wednesday that his country is ready to participate in multilateral talks on the issue of South Ossetia if needed.

    Nazarbayev made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with visiting German President Horst Koehler.

    Nazarbayev said he believed that the issue would not be solved only through bilateral talks between Russia and Georgia, or between Russia and Europe.

    To solve the issue, multilateral talks involving Russia, Georgia, the European Union and the United States should be launched, he said.

    The president added that Russia is an economic and political partner of Kazakhstan, which does not support unilateral criticism against Russia and understands the Russian measures aimed at stopping the bloodshed in the region.

    Kazakhstan welcomed the EU's decision to urge all parties concerned to return to the negotiation table and considered it a "balanced" move.

    Nazarbayev said that Kazakhstan would keep a close eye on the security of its investment in Georgia.

    Koehler started his one-week official tour of Asia Tuesday. The visit will also take him to Mongolia and China.