Kazakh analyst Kuat Dombai notes that China has become the largest trading partner of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, “displacing Russia for the first time since the Russian Empire colonized the region.”
ADVERTISINGOn the eve of the BRICS summit, Kazakhstan declared that the country continues to “watch with interest the evolution” of the community and that, despite the proposals received by the Kazakh president, Kasim-Yomart Tokáyev, the issue of accession to the association still It’s not on the table. President Kasim-Yomart Tokayev stated that, in the current circumstances, the UN has no alternative.
Immediately afterwards it was learned that Russia is restricting the import of agricultural products from Kazakhstanincluding cut flowers. “Kazakhstan re-exports the majority of flowers from the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium. However, the competent bodies of these countries do not provide the appropriate level of control over product safety“reads a Russian statement.
“The decision was made in order to preserve the phytosanitary well-being of Russia and the volume of exported goods, as well as in view of the 43 cases of detection in 2023 and 2024 in flower products of the quarantine object for the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union.
Potential economic damages resulting from penetration and spread of western flower thrips amount to more than 11.5 billion rubles (more than 110 million euros)”, justifies the statement.
Growing pressure on Kazakhstan
Kuat Dombai, director of the C+5 Center for Central Asian Studies, commented to ‘Euronews’ on the dynamics of relations between Russia and Kazakhstan. “Restrictions and prohibitions on imports of agricultural products and wheat between Kazakhstan and Russia undoubtedly reflect a increasing pressure on Kazakhstanalthough it is not the first time they have occurred.
Previously, Russia repeatedly banned Kazakh oil transit through the seaport of Novorossiysk under various pretexts of technical failures at the terminal, which coincided with some pressing problems in bilateral relations. Although more than 80% of Kazakh oil is exported to Europe through it,” the analyst points out.
Why has Astana made this decision on joining the BRICS? “Kazakhstan has repeatedly stated that has no intention to violate or, to a certain extent, evade the sanctioning measures imposed against Russia in relation to the war in Ukraine, which in practical terms is a very difficult task, given the largest land border in the world, 7,500 kilometers, and the fact of being in a single customs area with Russia within the EAEU,” he explains. Kuat Dombai.
How does it affect the russian military aggression to relations between Russia and Kazakhstan? “Without a doubt, Kazakhstan is in a very difficult economic situation, under the threat of secondary sanctions, traditional logistical chains have been destroyed and Kazakh society has projected with logical and sobering perspective the threat of possible upcoming territorial claims.
Taking into account that after the collapse of the USSR there were two countries, Kazakhstan and Ukrainethe signatories of the Budapest Memorandum with guarantees from the West in exchange for give up nuclear weapons“explains the analyst.
The Kremlin maintains that BRICS “is not an alliance against anyone”
Many Western observers believe that, amid international sanctions and the ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, Russia attempts to demonstrate that the plans for isolate Vladimir Putin have failed. The Kremlin says more than 30 countries have applied to join the BRICS, but the exact list of countries has not been revealed.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in an interview with Russian media that “BRICS does not force anyone to sacrifice anythingAccording to Lavrov, “this association is not against anyone.” The head of Russian diplomacy also noted that, regarding Kazakhstan’s statements on the UN, “it is necessary to clarify this position.”
“Kazakhstan is a member of many other organizations: OSCE, CIS, CSTO, SCO and active member of the Organization of Turkish States, which, on the initiative of Turkey, is strengthening ties and is on the rise. “The organization pays great attention to representatives of our Central Asian allies and strategic partners,” he said.
“None of this prevents either Kazakhstan or other Central Asian countries from actively participating in the United Nations, which is a universal structure but which is now in crisis through no fault of our own. It seems to me that, in the long term, our neighbors in the South, our allies in the CSTO and the EAEU will, first of all, see the direct benefits of rapprochement with the BRICS“he added.
“It is not necessary to join, but cooperate in carrying out specific projectsthere is no doubt. This is of interest to all of us,” Lavrov declared.
