AKIPRESS.COM - The world needs to realize that Russia plays an essential role in the global political process, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Wednesday.

"A country becomes a great power not because of its gas and oil riches… but because of its participation in global affairs in order to resolve problems that occur here and there in the world, to help promote peace around the world. Here, Russia’s role is indispensable, and the world needs to understand it," Nazarbayev told Rossiya-24 television.

The Kazakh leader added that Russia has enough resources to cope with the repercussions of the Western economic sanctions, reports Sputnik news service.

"Russia is just telling the whole world that there is a place for Russia in the world, Russia must take this place and there is nothing extraordinary about it, the worlds must realize it," Nazarbayev said.

Last year, Western countries, including the United States and the European Union member states, imposed several rounds of restrictive measures on Russia over its alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis, a claim denied by Moscow.