Kazakhstan “will not blindly follow the sanctions” because of Russia, if they affect domestic companies that are the main employers in the regions. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangar.
“We will not allow our manufacturers to be banned,” said Zhumangarin, whose words are quoted by Nur.kz.
According to him, Kazakhstan did not join the ban on the sale of ball bearings that have double military and civilian use, since the local factory produces them according to the specification, which is traditionally used only in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries.
At the same time, Zhumangarin made it clear that the country would still continue to comply with the rules, because it would not stand the sanctions.
Zhumangarin noted that some of the measures aimed at restricting Russia’s access to goods instead disproportionately damaged to Kazakhstan, while the Western governments did little to compensate for the costs.
According to Zhumangarin, cut off from access to the ocean, Kazakhstan seeks to create more stable trade routes, exploring the route south through the Caspian Sea to Iran. However, the difficulty lies in the fact that many of the existing restrictions cover double goods for the defense and energy industry.
Western countries introduced tough sanctions against Russia after the start of a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Kazakhstan did not join the restrictions, but the president of the country Kasim-Zhomart Tokaev stated that Astana would definitely follow the sanctions regime in relation to the Russian Federation.