Russia's Medvedev in Kazakhstan to talk energy

By Oleg Shchedrov

ASTANA, May 22 (Reuters) - Russia's Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Kazakhstan on Thursday on his first foreign trip as president, seeking to revive Russia's Soviet-era influence in resource-rich Central Asia.

Energy cooperation between the two biggest oil producers in the former Soviet Union topped the agenda as Medvedev sat down for talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev at his white-stone presidential palace in the capital Astana.

"This is all very important and pleasant for someone who's on his first trip abroad," said Medvedev after the 67-year-old Kazakh leader greeted him in person at the airport of the steppe city 2,300 km (1,500 miles) south-east of Moscow.

"This visit is not just a coincidence but a demonstration of cooperation and particularly brotherly relations between Russia and Kazakhstan," Medvedev told Nazarbayev as talks started.

Keen to revive its Soviet-era status as a global powerhouse, Russia is looking for new allies in the east at a time when its ties with the United States and the European Union remain sour.

Medvedev, who took over the presidency from his mentor Vladimir Putin this month, is due to head further east -- to China -- on Friday for the second part of his trip. By contrast, Putin's first trip as Russian president in 2000 was to Britain.

ENERGY TIES