ASTANA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia views Kazakhstan as one of its closest allies, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said here Thursday.

    Putin made the remarks at a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Karim Masimov on the sidelines of the 7th Prime Ministers' Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries in the Kazakh capital of Astana, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

    During the meeting, Putin said economic ties between Russia and Kazakhstan cover diverse sectors ranging from raw materials and mechanical manufacturing to energy and high technology.

    Russian and Kazakh enterprises should boost cooperation in view of the problems brought about by the global financial crisis, he said.

    Also on Thursday, Putin held talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Russian leader voiced confidence that cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan would help both nations cope with the crisis and avoid major losses.

    Nazarbayev, for his part, said that the crisis could be called the worst in the last century. It is important for the international community to join hands to work out solutions, he added.