Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with a two-day visit. According to The Moscow Timesthe destination of the journey is Strengthening ties with Central Asian countries in the face of tensions caused by the war in Ukraine.
Kazakhstan's president, Kasym-Żomart Tokayev, expressed his concern about Russia's wide invasion of neighbouring country, while at the same time distancing itself from unequivocal support for Kremlin's actions. In an article published in the Prokremlian paper Istia, before Putin's planned visit, Tokaev stressed the request for peaceful dialogue, however, he avoided direct references to Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin's invitation to Kazakhstan may be motivated by the concerns of his government. Kazakh media propose that authorities in Astana, the country's capital, are afraid about the anticipation of US attacks on Russian bases located in Kazakhstan. Additionally, the authorities want to make it clear that in their country there will not be a situation akin to that in Ukraine.
Russian and... Ukrainian flags
As part of Vladimir Putin's visit to Astana in various parts of the city, Russian flags and slogans were displayed in honor of the dictator. Not everyone in Kazakhstan supported Putin's visit. The Astana Opera authorities decided to display the Ukrainian flag on the building, which was a clear opposition to the presence of the Russian dictator. This incidental did not escape the attention of Russian propaganda. According to the blogger and erstwhile deputy chief of the MMA of Ukraine, Anton Herashchenko: Putin visited Kazakhstan for the second time this year. He was greeted by the large flag of Ukraine on the large screen on the building. Russian media reported it was a hacking attack.
Source: XWorse relations between countries
In fresh months relations between Kazakhstan and Russia have deteriorated significantly. Moscow introduced a ban on the export of certain Kazakh agricultural products and Kazakhstan refused to join the BRICS economical block in September.
The extension of BRICS has become a key pillar of Russian abroad policy. Putin views the group as a counterweight to what he considers to be the global dominance of the West – informs The Moscow Times.
Kazakhstan is besides trying to reduce its dependence on Russia in the oil sector. In an interview with Reuters Kazakh energy minister, Almasadam Satkalijew, reported that the country plans to increase its oil exports thirteen times by Turkey via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline. According to the plan, this way will increase from 1.5 million tons to 20 million tons of barrels.
