The Kremlin commented on the information about the NATO center in Kazakhstan

Russia expects to receive additional information from Kazakhstan in connection with information about the alleged opening of a NATO peacekeeping operations center in the republic, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“Peacekeeping missions have their own specifics. The Kazakh military is taking part there in different parts of the world, but this whole process of preparation on the part of the Americans, of course, we expect that we will receive additional information from our friends from Astana,” he said.

The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan, in turn, clarified in the TASS commentary that we are only talking about the opening of a new conference hall of the peacekeeping operations center of the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan, no new NATO center was opened.

“The center has been operating since 2006 as an educational institution designed to develop the peacekeeping component of the armed forces of Kazakhstan,” the department explained.

October 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the high level of relations between Russia and Kazakhstan in the congratulatory telegram sent to the country’s leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the occasion of Republic Day. Kazakhstan is “confidently moving along the path of socio-economic development”, making its contribution to solving international problems, and also “enjoys well-deserved authority on the world stage,” the Russian president noted.

Putin and Tokayev met in Beijing at the “One Belt, One Road” forum on October 17, and before that at a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Bishkek on October 13. In his speech, Tokayev spoke out against economic sanctions, “which have a most disastrous negative impact on global trade and the well-being of states.” Previously, the Kazakh authorities have repeatedly stated that they comply with Western sanctions against Russia.