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Probably related somehow: > Kazakhstan will not help Russia to evade Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a top Kazakh off

by 323 5y ago

Probably related somehow: > Kazakhstan will not help Russia to evade Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a top Kazakh official has said. > Kazakhstan is not part of this conflict. Yes, we are part of the Eurasian Economic Union but we are an independent state with our own system, and we will abide by the restrictions imposed on Russia and Belarus. We don't want and will not risk being placed in the same basket. > Kazakhstan respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine, did not recognize and will not recognize the Crimean annexation, nor the independence of the two separatist-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine.

5e92cb50239222b 5y ago
While this is certainly nice to hear, I fear how we're going to pay for this. The border with Russia is quite long, and we've heard of lot of the same things they said about Ukraine, especially in the past couple of years. We have almost 10× less the population than Russia has, no borders with any of the Western countries, and I doubt they'd care much about us anyway.
- grosswait 5y ago
  I don’t know where this is going but I love that we have a comment from a native (or at least resident) of Kazakhstan here. All the best, and hope to visit your country some day.
  - 5e92cb50239222b 5y ago
    Same reason I spend so much time on the internet. Where else would you get the chance of talking to someone from the other side of the planet? If you ever do visit, please do it in late spring or early autumn. The climate here is a bit extreme, especially for someone from milder ones. (I've always lived here, and you don't pay much attention to -40°C winters and +35°C summers after living with it for a few decades.) It's not that bad all the time, but if you do happen to arrive in the middle of such an event, it's not a fun experience. Nomads were doing the logical thing and moving around with seasons. We, not so much.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- vbezhenar 5y ago
  Putin and Tokayev talked just today. I'm pretty sure that all major Kazakhstani public announcements are coordinated with Putin. Putin helped Tokayev to keep his president chair just few months ago, it's not like Kazakhstan going to break up with Russia (and I really hope that will not happen, as it would be extremely stupid thing to do).
- rjzzleep 5y ago
  If India is any indication, you can be certain that Kazakhstan was heavily pressured as well. The statement about Russia definitely reads like someone got scared about something. (Of course everyone here will just say Putin spooked him, when in reality it's probably just one part of the equation). If I have learned anything in the last couple weeks, it is that the former soviet republics are commodity powerhouses. Kazakhstan exports 50% of the worlds uranium exports. So some people definitely do care what's happening to them. But as always probably less about the population and more about what value it provides.
- NicoJuicy 5y ago
  I'm not so sure about that. There was a meeting between the EU and Kazachstan just hours ago to increase cooporation. They also talked about what happened in January: https://astanatimes.com/2022/04/kazakhstan-eu-relations-on-the-spotlight-in-brussels/ https://astanatimes.com/2022/04/kazakhstan-eu-relations-on-t... Russia will be occupied for the next year's and i doubt they have much to offer anymore. There are threats with bordering to Russia, Finland is in a similar position atm. But has more borders with EU.
- baybal2 5y ago
- ivan_gammel 5y ago
  China has a big stake in independent and stable Kazakhstan that will resist islamists and participate in the Silk Road initiatives, which should be your insurance policy against Russian invasion. There were rumors that it was reaction of China that forced Russian peacekeepers to go home on time after the recent coup attempt. Let’s hope that Tokaev will show the third way to former Soviet republics and will keep all the foreign powers away, while making necessary reforms.

by 323 5y ago

5e92cb50239222b 5y ago

While this is certainly nice to hear, I fear how we're going to pay for this. The border with Russia is quite long, and we've heard of lot of the same things they said about Ukraine, especially in the past couple of years. We have almost 10× less the population than Russia has, no borders with any of the Western countries, and I doubt they'd care much about us anyway.

grosswait 5y ago
I don’t know where this is going but I love that we have a comment from a native (or at least resident) of Kazakhstan here. All the best, and hope to visit your country some day.
- 5e92cb50239222b 5y ago
  Same reason I spend so much time on the internet. Where else would you get the chance of talking to someone from the other side of the planet? If you ever do visit, please do it in late spring or early autumn. The climate here is a bit extreme, especially for someone from milder ones. (I've always lived here, and you don't pay much attention to -40°C winters and +35°C summers after living with it for a few decades.) It's not that bad all the time, but if you do happen to arrive in the middle of such an event, it's not a fun experience. Nomads were doing the logical thing and moving around with seasons. We, not so much.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
vbezhenar 5y ago
Putin and Tokayev talked just today. I'm pretty sure that all major Kazakhstani public announcements are coordinated with Putin. Putin helped Tokayev to keep his president chair just few months ago, it's not like Kazakhstan going to break up with Russia (and I really hope that will not happen, as it would be extremely stupid thing to do).
rjzzleep 5y ago
If India is any indication, you can be certain that Kazakhstan was heavily pressured as well. The statement about Russia definitely reads like someone got scared about something. (Of course everyone here will just say Putin spooked him, when in reality it's probably just one part of the equation). If I have learned anything in the last couple weeks, it is that the former soviet republics are commodity powerhouses. Kazakhstan exports 50% of the worlds uranium exports. So some people definitely do care what's happening to them. But as always probably less about the population and more about what value it provides.
NicoJuicy 5y ago
I'm not so sure about that. There was a meeting between the EU and Kazachstan just hours ago to increase cooporation. They also talked about what happened in January: https://astanatimes.com/2022/04/kazakhstan-eu-relations-on-the-spotlight-in-brussels/ https://astanatimes.com/2022/04/kazakhstan-eu-relations-on-t... Russia will be occupied for the next year's and i doubt they have much to offer anymore. There are threats with bordering to Russia, Finland is in a similar position atm. But has more borders with EU.
baybal2 5y ago
ivan_gammel 5y ago
China has a big stake in independent and stable Kazakhstan that will resist islamists and participate in the Silk Road initiatives, which should be your insurance policy against Russian invasion. There were rumors that it was reaction of China that forced Russian peacekeepers to go home on time after the recent coup attempt. Let’s hope that Tokaev will show the third way to former Soviet republics and will keep all the foreign powers away, while making necessary reforms.