The President of the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has promised the EU oil and gas supplies. “Kazakhstan is ready to use its hydrocarbon potential to stabilize the situation in global and European markets,” his press service quoted him as saying after a telephone conversation with EU Council President Charles Michel on Monday.
Kazakhstan could form a kind of “buffer zone” to compensate for the imbalances in the energy distribution between East and West and North and South. In this regard, Tokayev called on the EU to expand alternative transport corridors – including through the Caspian Sea. This would allow raw materials to be delivered to Europe without Russia.
Russian troops helped during the uprising
Authoritarian, resource-rich Kazakhstan is part of the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Union and the military bloc of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). CSTO units were sent to the ex-Soviet republic after the unrest in Kazakhstan earlier this year and helped political leaders stabilize the situation in their favor. In Kazakhstan, however, there are also concerns about Moscow’s influence. The Kazakhs fear territorial claims from the Russians in the north of their country.
No recognition of separatist areas
Kazakhstan did not clearly side with Russia in the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in late February. At the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Tokayev also stated during a panel discussion with Putin that Kazakhstan would not follow Russia’s lead in recognizing the eastern Ukrainian separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
