Former ally strikes at Russia. They have banned the export of over 100 goods
We have completely banned the export to Russia of 106 goods, which can be considered as dual-use goods. This includes drones, microprocessors, and other electronic devices that can be used for military purposes - declared the Deputy Minister of Trade of Kazakhstan, Kajrat Torebajew.
6:32 PM EDT, October 19, 2023
Kazakhstan has banned the export of 106 goods to Russia, which can be considered dual-use goods, i.e. both civilian and military.
We're talking about 106 goods that are not manufactured in Kazakhstan, but were previously re-exported from our country. Import (of these goods) to Kazakhstan will still be carried out, but not export. These are goods made not only in the West, but also in other parts of the world - informed Torebayev, quoted by KazTAG and Interfax-Ukraine agencies.
Post-Soviet countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, have been accused over the past few months of assisting Russia in avoiding sanctions imposed on the country by Western nations and organizations in response to the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.
In early October, Euronews noted that the economies of Central Asian countries recorded extraordinary growth in 2023, which is likely related to the transfer of economic activity to these countries by companies previously operating in Russia and Belarus. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) reported that in the first half of this year, Tajikistan achieved economic growth of 7.5 percent, Uzbekistan - 6.5 percent, Kazakhstan - 5 percent, and Kyrgyzstan - 4.6 percent.
The ally strikes Russia
Kazakhstan was one of Russia's closest allies, it remains a member of the main pro-Russian integration structures - the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (Rus. CSTO). Since February 24, 2022, which is the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Astana however, has been trying to distance itself from Moscow, maintaining a neutral stance in the face of war.
In August of last year, the authorities of Kazakhstan decided to temporarily suspend the export of weapons, military equipment, and other military commodities. In the following months, over 200,000 Russians arrived in Kazakhstan, who fled for fear of the mobilization for war with Ukraine announced by Vladimir Putin.
Russian authorities have repeatedly attacked the government in Astana, accusing them of insufficiently loyal behavior towards Kremlin aggression on a neighboring country. The former Russian President Dmitrij Medvedev called Kazakhstan an "artificial state," and the Foreign Ministry in Moscow demanded that the Kazakh side expel the Ukrainian ambassador.
