What are the results of Putin’s recent visit to Kazakhstan?
President Putin’s recent visit to Kazakhstan, preceded by President Macron’s historic visit, was intended to smooth out the effect of the “French liaison mission.”
Relationship with Kazakhstan is one of the most essential tasks for the Russian Foreign Ministry. However, the relationship with Russia is just as crucial for Kazakhstan. Some Russian commentators regularly doubt Kazakhstan’s “loyalty” to Russia. Do these doubts have any grounds in reality?
It was Kazakhstan’s President Nazarbayev in distant 1994, speaking to representatives of the scientific community at Moscow State University, voiced the idea of Eurasian integration:
One cannot help but see the concern of people outside the 15 states that made up one country. These include ethnic Russians, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, and other representatives of peoples. This is explained by the rapid collapse of the USSR, the subsequent period of the euphoria of independence, and then the awareness of most countries of the need for collective responsibility for survival in new economic and geopolitical conditions. Especially increased concern, for example, in our country, the collapse of a single ruble zone. You know that I have always advocated integration, especially considering the human connections that we have.
Collective West is looking to destabilise Central Asia
President Macron is stepping up France’s foreign policy efforts in Armenia with the final redistribution of influence in the South Caucasus and the former Soviet republics – Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. However, this is not the first effort by the Collective West to increase its influence in the region. However, the question that needs to be asked is – Should all these efforts by the West to improve relations with countries of the area be viewed as hostile?
What are Russian intentions in Kazakhstan?
- Moscow intends to retain and even increase its share in the extraction of Kazakhstani uranium. Rosatom will promote its nuclear power plant project for Kazakhstan. It will have to compete with offers from France, the USA and China.
- Russia will invest in constructing three new thermal power plants in Kazakhstan and increase the volume of coal supplies.
- Cooperation in the field of oil and gas supplies through the territory of both countries is deepening
- Despite Western sanctions, and primarily thanks to them, the trade volume between Russia and Kazakhstan is growing. Kazakhstan successfully balances Western pressure and local businesses, increasing relations with Russian companies.
- Russia intends to maintain and deepen cooperation with Kazakhstan in training military personnel, licensing the production of weapons and astronautics.
- Higher Education – It was decided to open branches of Russian technical universities in Kazakhstan. In addition to higher education, three new Russian-language schools will be opened in Kazakhstan at the expense of the Russian budget. Russians appear to be very concerned about the process of changing from Russian language and alphabet (Cyrillic) to local language and Latin alphabet.
