Vladimir Putin’s trips abroad have become rare since the war of aggression against Ukraine and the arrest warrant against him. Now he visited the ex-Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.
Astana – Since then Ukraine war and that in March of Arrest warrant issued against Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court, Foreign trips by the Russian ruler have become a rarity. Now Russia’s President visited his Central Asian neighbor Kazakhstan to promote increased military cooperation.
Rare trip: Putin courts Kazakhstan – it’s also about the military
At a joint press conference with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized Wladimir Putin on Thursday (November 9th) the importance of consolidating military and military-technical cooperation between Russia and the ex-Soviet republic.
At an economic summit in the capital Astana, the Russian president declared that both countries were “not just allies, but closest allies.” He suggested cooperation in various areas such as military, Space travelagriculture and nuclear energy.
“Alliance of a rich past and bright future”: Putin courts Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke of an “alliance with a rich past and a bright future.” The oil-rich former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan has become particularly important for Russia given its own war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting Western sanctions.
Although Kazakhstan is traditionally a partner of Russia, President Tokayev has expressed his reluctance to do so in recent months Ukraine conflict expressed. He repeatedly emphasized that his country supports the sanctions regime of the EU and other countries. In Western countries there are still concerns that Moscow could use former Soviet republics as a back door to import banned goods.
The next meeting between the two heads of state is already planned for November 23rd. They will attend a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of post-Soviet states, in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
(uha/with material from dpa and AFP)
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