Tokayev calls for support for Chinese, other countries’ peace initiatives for Ukraine

Astana, Jun 20 (EFE).- Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday called for compliance with the UN Charter and support for all peace initiatives by China and other countries to end the war in Ukraine.

“I have stated our position on this complex issue,” Tokayev said after meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his press office reported.

“We must strictly comply with the UN Charter and support the UN as a universal and irreplaceable organization in the world,” he said first.

“Secondly, we must support all peace initiatives that have been promoted by China and also by other states,” the Kazakh leader added.

“We are hopeful that a cease-fire will soon be achieved in Ukraine and that we will be able later to talk about the establishment of a solid peace in this part of the world,” the head of state of the largest country in Central Asia went on to say.

Tokayev stressed that Kazakhstan is ready to make its contribution to achieving this goal.

At the same time, he stressed that his country is a strategic partner of Russia, with which they are members of the same organizations.

“Hence, our goal is to keep in close contact with Russia to strengthen our cooperation, both on a bilateral basis and in the corresponding international organizations,” he said.

The Kazakh president affirmed that his country complies with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and denied that it exports dual-use, civilian and military goods to Russia.

“That absolutely does not correspond to reality,” he stressed.

In Tuesday’s talks, Steinmeier and Tokayev addressed the issue of Western sanctions on Russia for its war against Ukraine and attempts to circumvent them.

“With President Tokayev we also discussed the issue of sanctions (on Russia) and their circumvention. We must apply all efforts to prevent circumvention of sanctions,” the German president said about his face-to-face with the Kazakh leader.

He added that there is “close contact” between the Kazakh and European Union (EU) departments on this issue.

The EU has urged Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan included, not to allow Russia to use their territories and businesses to circumvent Western sanctions and pledged support to mitigate the impact on their economies of the war Moscow started in Ukraine.

“Our goal is to weaken and ultimately stop the Russian war machine. And the EU takes the prevention of sanctions circumvention very seriously,” European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said during the 2nd EU-Central Asia Economic Forum held last May in the Kazakh city of Almaty.

At the end of the same month a news investigation carried out by the portal Vazhniye Istorii (Istories) together with Der Spiegel reported that the military industry and the Russian Army receive the drones and electronic components necessary for its military campaign in Ukraine thanks to the support of Kazakhstan and other countries.

“Statistics show that Kazakhstan helps Russia to circumvent sanctions,” the investigation said, pointing out that “since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the import of microelectronics to Kazakhstan had more than doubled.” EFE

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