EU Representative: We will not apply secondary sanctions against Kazakhstan

According to the Fars news agency reporter in Astana, “David O’Sullivan”, the European Union’s special envoy for sanctions, said in a meeting in “Astana” about joint cooperation with the Kazakh authorities to deal with the circumvention of sanctions. The union will not impose secondary sanctions against Astana.

O’Sullivan stated that the Kazakh authorities have taken measures that will result in the re-export of some goods and products to Russia compared to April 2023. Attention has decreased. The European Union has many ambitious projects and programs that it can implement together with Kazakhstan in the field of green technologies and transportation.

He noted: However, re-exports have increased for some other goods. .

O’Sullivan said: the total volume of these goods has a relatively small share in Kazakhstan’s trade turnover and is only 200 million euros per year. It is not a matter of volume, it is a question of value and deadly effect of these goods and products. As we know, these products are used to strengthen the military potential of the Russian Federation, and for this reason, we insist on stopping the re-export of these products. These are mostly high-tech products. We mean integrated circuits and equipment with optical vision.

The EU official noted that I have not seen any threats in my travels and that we have common challenges because this is the case for all countries. Applies. We respect the position of other countries, including Kazakhstan, which do not join the sanctions. This is the decision of each country. Astana is interested in establishing business relations with EU member states and attracting investment. Therefore, turning this country into a place to bypass sanctions is not beneficial for the government and companies operating in this country. This is a common challenge for all of us and we greatly appreciate Astana’s willingness to solve this problem together. It has relations with Astana, and the European Union is the main trade and investment partner of this country.

O’Sullivan emphasized: We want to continue to improve our relations with Kazakhstan in a positive way and establish closer cooperation. I want to note once again that we do not want sanctions to be an obstacle to our closer and deeper cooperation.

He said: On April 24, Kazakhstan will decide for itself what kind of relationship it will establish with Russia. .

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