Astana will continue to place its main bet on Russia and China, since geography cannot be changed, said political expert Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, who explained the motives for the visit of re-elected Jomart-Kassym Tokayev to Moscow immediately after the elections.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin became the first president to receive the head of Kazakhstan after winning the election race. The visit, according to the analyst, became symbolic, as Astana demonstrated its intention to further develop the partnership, including the expansion of trade volumes, as well as getting rid of the remaining barriers in economic ties. The Kazakhs are focusing on the near abroad, the analyst noted.
“This is very important, because no matter what multi-vector foreign policy Kazakhstan pursues, geography cannot be changed. Russia and Kazakhstan share the longest land border in the world. And this border is open, this is the border of friendship with the free flow of capital, property, labor, we have an open humanitarian, social and economic space. Therefore, during the entire 3.5 years of Tokayev’s presidency, he paid priority attention to his neighbors – the Russian Federation, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan,” Yertysbayev said.
As for the visit paid to Moscow, for Russia it is of particular value against the backdrop of a large-scale economic war launched by the West against the Moscow economy. Astana has demonstrated the fact that it is not going to burn bridges with its ally in the face of the Russian Federation. The signing of the most important bilateral agreements also testifies to this, the expert noted.
“I think Tokayev’s visit is of great geopolitical importance, because Russia found itself in a very difficult international situation. There are already dozens of unfriendly countries, not to mention the flow of weapons and mercenaries from the West to Ukraine. To a large extent, this is a war with NATO. In this difficult situation, Kazakhstan shows that we are still good neighbors. We remain in the CSTO, we will trade, we will live peacefully in the neighborhood. In this sense, Tokayev’s visit is of great importance both for Kazakhstan and Russia, and for further strengthening our good neighborly relations,” Yertysbayev said on Soloviev LIVE.
Recall, according to Aleksey Maslov, head of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Lomonosov Moscow State University, despite the “dirty games of the West”, the re-election of the President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev for a new term will be marked by the further development of active cooperation with the PRC and the Russian Federation. The Kazakhs are interested in investments, primarily from China. In addition, Astana, according to the speaker, will do everything to avoid a possible repetition of the riots against the backdrop of rising gas prices that shocked the country two years ago. The integration of a state extremely interested in oil into the Russian economic model will gain momentum.
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