Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has arrived in Kazakhstan - the last stop on his tour of Asia.

Kazakhstan, along with Russia and Belarus, have formed the Common Economic Space (CES), a new customs union created to protect their economies.

This week in St Petersburg, Putin asked European leaders to recognise the organisation.

The CES is considered a stepping stone in the president's grander vision - the creation of a Eurasian Union where a common currency and even a parliament have been touted.

Al Jazeera's Robin Forestier-Walker reports from the Kazakh city of Almaty.