Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has declared that Kazakhstan will indeed adhere to the sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia in connection with its invasion of Ukraine. He made this statement after talks with the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin on September 28.
Source: Press Service of the President of Kazakhstan
"Kazakhstan has unequivocally stated that it will follow the sanctions regime [against Russia]. We have contacts with the relevant organizations for its implementation, and there should be no concerns on the part of the German side about possible actions aimed at circumventing the sanctions regime," said the Kazakh President.
Tokayev also expressed Kazakhstan's support for the "immediate cessation of hostilities" between Russia and Ukraine and "peaceful negotiations based on the UN Charter."
"Today, I told Chancellor Scholz that the situation is indeed very serious. Both the Ukrainian and Russian sides claim to be ready for negotiations, but the negotiation platform is not yet clear," he added.
According to Tokayev, Kazakhstan, which shares a lengthy border with Russia, has no concerns that Russia poses a threat to its territorial integrity.
"The border [between Russia and Kazakhstan] was delimited and largely demarcated at one time, confirmed and ratified by the parliaments of both countries, so we have no concerns about territorial claims from Russia. We maintain regular, friendly contacts on a bilateral basis," he stated.
This is not the first time Kazakhstan's president has asserted that his country adheres to Western sanctions. In June, Tokayev stated that media reports about the export of dual-use goods to Russia through Kazakhstan "absolutely do not correspond to reality." Prior to that, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Finance pledged to strengthen control over exports to Russia after a high-profile investigation labeled the country an "intermediate destination" for the import of electronic components into the Russian market.
The European Union has been trying for many months to prevent Russia from bypassing the trade restrictions imposed against it. In the summer, the EU approved a mechanism allowing for sanctions against third countries through which goods subject to sanctions are supplied to Russia.
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