Kazakhstan welcomes France’s Macron under Moscow’s disapproving gaze. On the first stage of a tour to Central Asia, which has long been seen as Russia’s backyard but has received more attention from the West since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
Oil-filled Already, Kazakhstan has established itself as a significant link in the new China-Europe trade route circumvents Russia and as a substitute oil supplier to European countries, cutting off Russian supplies.
Macron praised Kazakhstan for standing by Moscow in the Ukraine conflict. It said the two nations had inked commercial agreements, including a memorandum of intent to collaborate in the highly sought-after field of rare earths and metals.
The West’s increasing diplomatic efforts in the former Soviet countries of Central Asia have drawn criticism from Russia. Last week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the West was attempting to distance Russia from its “neighbors, friends, and allies.”
“I don’t underestimate by any means the geopolitical difficulties, the pressures … that some may be putting on you,” Macron told Tokayev.
“France respects the course you are taking for your nation, refusing to submit to any authority and working to establish many harmonious relationships with other nations in the best interests of your citizens. This kind of thinking is similar to France.”
Macron will next go to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, all of which have declared themselves strategic partners of Russia and Western countries like France. All countries have refused to acknowledge Russia’s takeover of Ukrainian lands and have promised to uphold Western sanctions against Moscow.
“We respect our friends; we are here when they need us, and we respect their independence,” Macron stated. “And in a world where major powers want to become hegemons and where regional powers become unpredictable, it is good to have friends who share this philosophy.”
Kazakhstan exports a lot of uranium in addition to oil, and the French company Orano already has a joint venture with the country’s official nuclear company, Kazatomprom. Tokayev told Macron, “We can call your visit historic and very important.”
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