Kazakhstan President Tokayev Denies Helping Russia Circumvent Sanctions: Latest Updates

Kazakhstan’s president makes it clear that they will not help Russia circumvent the sanctions against the country after the invasion of Ukraine, despite rumors that Russia receives important goods via Central Asia.

– Kazakhstan has unequivocally declared that we are following up on the sanctions, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokajev after a meeting with German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Thursday.

– There should be no concerns on the German side about possible actions aimed at circumventing the sanctions, he said further.

The invasion set nerves on edge in the Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, which is trying its best to distance itself from Russia’s war. Among other things, Kazakhstan has not recognized the annexed, occupied areas in Ukraine as part of Russia.

But the country, which is closely allied militarily with Russia and shares a 7,500km border with its neighbour, has often been accused of helping its larger neighbor to obtain certain types of goods despite the sanctions.

In its latest sanctions package, the EU seeks to crack down on the onward export of sensitive goods through third countries by banning the export of certain products to states that do not cooperate.

Tokayev also says that he does not fear that Russia will lay claim to any of Kazakhstan’s territory.

Russian propagandists and parliamentarians have repeatedly threatened that Kazakhstan will be the next target of the Kremlin’s expansionist ambitions.

In addition to Tokayev, Scholz will meet the leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan on Friday. The meeting will be the first joint meeting of the five countries with an EU country.