“For Kazakhstan, Russia has always been and will be the main strategic partner,” Tokayev declared during a meeting with Putin in the Kremlin (the Russian presidency).
The Kazakh leader emphasized the “deep ties in very different fields” between Moscow and Astana, needed “large projects for Russian capital” in Kazakhstan – a former Soviet republic in Central Asia rich in hydrocarbons – and promised to do “everything possible” to ensure their existence. permanent in the country.
This is the first visit of the President of Kazakhstan, who took office on Saturday after being re-elected with 81.31% of the vote for a second term.
Kasim-Jomart Tokayev, who is traveling on Tuesday and Wednesday to Paris to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, emphasized the fact that this visit is taking place in Russia “certainly has a political and symbolic meaning.”
In turn, the Kremlin leader praised the “special” relations between Russia and Kazakhstan.
The two leaders also spoke, via videoconference, at a Russian-Kazakh government forum being held in Orenburg, a city close to the border with Kazakhstan.
The start of Russia’s offensive into Ukraine in February raised concerns in several former Soviet republics allied with Russia, including Kazakhstan.
Last week, at a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-sponsored alliance, Tokayev called for “joint collective searches for a formula for peace” in Ukraine.
He stressed that “we must not allow the fraternal peoples of Russia and Ukraine to be separated for tens, but for hundreds of years and incurable grudges.”
In June, Tokayev publicly criticized his Russian counterpart during a forum in St. Petersburg, where he spoke out against recognizing separatist Russian-speaking territories in eastern Ukraine.
Kazakhstan also welcomed tens of thousands of Russians who entered the neighboring country to escape partial mobilization imposed by Putin in late September.
In Paris, the Elysee (French Presidency) today confirmed Tokayev’s visit, noting that the visit has a “political and strategic objective” and aims to “consolidate” the relationship and dialogue between Paris and Astana “in an equally difficult context”. Central Asian countries.
The visit comes less than a week after Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, another head of state from a former Soviet republic in Central Asia, visited the French capital.
“We will continue (…) to show our partners in Central Asia the importance we attach to the region that lies today between Russia and China, and which needs to open up to new horizons,” Elisso said today, noting that France and Kazakhstan have had a partnership since 2008.
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