Kyrgyzstan protests over Kazakh "support" for opposition candidate

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016 (SPIEF 2016) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2016. REUTERS/Artyom Korotayev/TASS/Host Photo Agency/Pool

BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan's government officially protested on Wednesday after Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with Kyrgyz opposition presidential candidate Omurbek Babanov, saying its neighbour was interfering in its Oct. 15 election.

Nazarbayev's office said on Tuesday he had met Babanov, a leader of the Kyrgyz opposition Respublika-Ata Zhurt party, in Kazakhstan, and expressed readiness to work "with a new president in whom the Kyrgyz people will put their trust".