Tokayev announced Kazakhstan’s intention to strengthen cooperation with Russia

Kazakhstan and Russia are strategic partners, so Astana aims to strengthen cooperation with Moscow, including in international organizations. About it declared President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

“I should also note that we are strategic partners with Russia. We are members of the same organizations. Therefore, our goal is to remain in close contact with Russia in order to strengthen our mutual cooperation both on a bilateral basis and in relevant international organizations,” he said.

Tokayev, commenting on the position of Kazakhstan on the Ukrainian conflict, stressed that the republic strictly follows the UN Charter and supports all peace initiatives that were announced by China and other countries.

The Kazakh President also declaredthat the republic firmly follows international rules when it comes to complying with sanctions. “As for the so-called export of dual-use goods to Russia, this is absolutely not true,” he added.

“Therefore, we very much hope that a ceasefire will be achieved in Ukraine in the near future, and we will be able to continue talking about establishing a lasting peace in this part of the world,” the president added.

Last week, the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan reported that exporters and importers of the republic prefer to settle accounts with Russia in tenge. Cooperation between the countries will continue as long as its participants are interested in it, the ministry emphasized.

At the same time, they added that sanctions “cannot be imposed on the country as a whole” or on a separate industry – they are applied “in relation to specific companies that violate relevant US and EU regulations.” In turn, Kazakhstan takes the necessary measures and complies with the requirements to prevent violations.

In 2022, the trade turnover between the countries set a record and amounted to $26.1 billion. In the first quarter of 2023, the volume of bilateral trade increased by 10.1% and amounted to $6.1 billion, and Kazakhstan’s exports to Russia amounted to $2.3 billion (+ 39.2%.