Kazakhstan will not be used to dodge US and EU sanctions against Russia, according to a top Kazakh official.
“The punishments will be followed. We are members of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Belarus, and other nations, as well as the world community “Timur Suleimenov, Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Chief of Staff, was quoted by Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform.
During his visit to Brussels, he spoke to European reporters and stated that Kazakhstan will need to continue bilateral cooperation with Russia for economic reasons.
“However, Kazakhstan would do its best to control any investment in the country from a sanctioned person or entity,” Suleimenov said.
He also noted that Kazakhstan is offering assistance to European companies that want to continue to legally sell goods to Russia.
“European companies are leaving Russia either due to sanctions or due to pressure from the public, from shareholders and ethical reasons. They want to be somewhere in the neighbourhood, and we would like to be that neighbour,” Suleimenov added.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which started Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.