Germany and Kazakhstan are concerned about the increasingly serious situation in Ukraine, and may impose new sanctions on Russia.

On September 28, during a visit to Berlin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during which both sides asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon the special military campaign in Ukraine.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on September 28. (Source: Office of the President of Kazakhstan)

During the talks, Chancellor Scholz outlined Germany’s position and stated that Russia’s military campaign violated international law. According to Scholz, as President Putin continues to prolong the conflict with Kiev, Germany will take the necessary measures to prevent this, including the sanctions that have been imposed.

In addition, the German leader appreciated Kazakhstan's support to prevent Russia from evading sanctions, along with Astana's active countermeasures.

For his part, President Tokayev affirmed that Kazakhstan supports a quick and immediate cessation of military actions, as well as compliance with UN resolutions. According to the Kazakh President, the real situation is “very serious”.

Although Russia and Ukraine have said they are ready for negotiations, it is still unclear on what basis, level and format they will take place. The Kazakh leader affirmed that Moscow and Kiev need to find a “wise diplomatic solution” in the current situation, from which to conduct peace negotiations and achieve results that both sides agree with.

Kazakhstan has contacts with organizations involved in complying with sanctions and Germany should not be concerned about the possibility that Kazakhstan will do anything to circumvent the mechanism, Tokayev said.

In addition, the talks between the two leaders also focused on promoting bilateral relations, including agreeing to strengthen cooperation to promote trade and investment relations between Germany and Kazakhstan.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, German Chancellor Scholz emphasized the close, good and growing relationship between the two countries over the past 30 years.

According to Mr. Scholz, Kazakhstan is currently Germany's most important trading partner in Central Asia, and is also an important partner in expanding supply routes, such as imported crude oil, which will help Berlin become independent in its energy supply. Germany sees Kazakhstan as a partner in important raw materials to shape the energy transition.

Regarding climate change and environmental protection, according to Chancellor Scholz, Central Asian countries are among the hotspots of climate change and the impacts in this region will become even more evident in the future. Therefore, Berlin is supporting the region to increase its resilience and only through cooperation can we overcome these global challenges.

Meanwhile, President Tokayev emphasized that Germany is Kazakhstan's most important strategic partner in the European Union (EU) in terms of economic, trade and investment relations. According to him, the two sides discussed a series of issues to further develop bilateral relations and reached many specific agreements.

At the same time, Mr. Tokayev called on the two countries to choose the most practical approach to implementing new investment projects to ensure sustainable development.

In particular, the head of Kazakhstan said that bilateral trade relations have developed positively and the two sides agreed to take effective measures to expand import and export goods, and implement joint projects in promising fields such as oil and gas, chemicals, metallurgy, transportation and logistics.

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