Putin loses an ally. Kazakhstan wants to develop its own Balika

This rope is also found at very high levels of strength. President Kasym-martomart Tokayev assures that there is no dispute between him and Putin. Its officials have a completely different opinion. – Of course, Russia wants us to be on his side. But Kazakhstan is not in danger of being thrown in Russia’s same drawer – In an interview with the Euroactive portal, said Timur Suleimanov, vice president of the presidential administration.

Tokayev sought to explain this contradiction in relations with Moscow. – Kazakhstan and Russia, the countries with the longest border in the world, maintain special relations of bilateral cooperation. At the same time, we developed deep traditions of friendly relations with Ukraine – He explained. So the president clearly wants to leave a place for maneuver.

Nevertheless, Kazakhstan and Russia have strong economic and social ties. For example, most of Kazakh freight exports pass through Russian Railways. “By 2021, 81 million tons were delivered this way. By sea ports – more than 13 million. Half of that went to Russia and the other – to third countries via its territory” – calculates Rhea Novosti. Both countries are members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). 70 percent of all Kazakh products. This is a powerful number that illustrates the unification of Kazakhstan with its northern neighbors.

Cultural aspects are also important in this context. Kazakhstan is home to 3.5 million Russians, about 20 percent of the population. In a populous republic, Russian may be used as the official language and on a par with state-owned Kazakh. In addition, a quarter of the schools are Russian-speaking. “Kazakhstan knows that any blatant attack on Moscow will have strong separatist effects on the border.” – Says a political scientist Ilya Khrushchenkov Institute.

Shared relationships are one and the same. However, something is starting to crack in the Kazakh community, and the authorities need to take this into account. An anti-war meeting on Ukraine, agreed with the authorities, took place on March 6 in Kazakhstan. Came from 3 to 5 thousand. People. Later, the city of Almaty rejected several applications to organize a demonstration in support of Ukraine. A month later, another protest took place in front of the Russian consulate in Alma-Ata against the Buxa massacre. Several activists were arrested, but after explanations, they were released home.

Kazakhstan has not yet signed an agreement with Russia on digital transformation. Such a deal was due to expire in the first quarter of this year. When asked by the Ministry of Digital Development whether the contract was scheduled to be signed by the end of the first quarter of this year, he said, “Today, the issue of signing the contract is not on the agenda.”

“Due to the global situation, the Ministry is considering the development of several scenarios and preparing for each of them“- Added. No footage specified.

All of this is linked to the recently signed declaration between Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan on the “East-West Trans-Caspian Corridor” that will be part of the New Silk Road connecting China with Turkey.

Simon Vishnevsky, a doctoral student at the Polish Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Eastern Law Institute, writes that the proclamation pays special attention. About the role of railways in the development of competitive transportation between Europe and Asia.

Rhea Novosti argues “The Russian media did not pay much attention to this declaration.”

While such possibilities have been debated for years, recent events may have accelerated the course of time. In early April, the Kazakh Interior Ministry issued a statement saying it planned to create a “container hub” in the special economic zone of the largest local port to improve freight traffic on the Trans-Caspian route. In the city of Octav.