Russian ally Kazakhstan refuses to help Russia bypass sanctions

KAZAKHSTAN will reportedly not impose sanctions against Russia following along the same lines as other Western countries, but it does not intend to help Moscow bypass the restrictive measures, as reported on Monday, December 26.

Kazakhstan is reportedly refusing to help Russia bypass sanctions, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, deputy prime minister and head of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, told the Japanese TV channel NHK.

The minister noted that Kazakhstan and Russia have close relations, and the imposition of sanctions would be detrimental to the well-being of Kazakh citizens, among others. At the same time, Astana’s refusal to violate restrictive measures of third countries is one of the principles of the country’s economic policy, and it will strictly adhere to this rule in the future, he added.

Russian media outlet Gazeta reported that the Kazakh government maintains friendly relations with both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, regularly calling on the sides to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means.

As noted, both Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries are reportedly allies.

In fact, earlier this month it was announced that there was to be a ‘tripartite gas alliance’ between the two countries and Uzbekistan, although the latter had refused to join.

Zhorabek Mirzamakhmudov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan stated today, Thursday, December 8, that even if his country concludes a gas agreement with the Russian Federation, this does not mean the conclusion of an alliance.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.