President Tokayev urges Russia and Ukraine to reach agreement through negotiations, says Kazakhstan ready to provide mediation, if needed

Nur-Sultan, 1 March 2022 – Today, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev commented on the situation in Ukraine during the 22nd extraordinary congress of the ruling Amanat party (previously Nur Otan).

He called on Russia and Ukraine to find common ground and reach an agreement at a negotiating table, stressing, “A bad peace is better than a good war”.

In particular, he stated: “Our stance should proceed from the critical need to ensure the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. As the country that hosted the OSCE summit in 2010, we insist on the principle of the indivisibility of Eurasian security. I stated this during my visit to Moscow on February 10.”

“The principle of indivisibility and commonality of security stipulates mutual understanding based on mutual trust,” he continued. “Unfortunately, this has not happened. The Minsk agreements remained only on paper, which led to the military operations on the territory of Ukraine.”

President Tokayev further stated, “The geopolitical situation has escalated in an unprecedented way, and it is now time to talk about irreversibility of this trend, to much regret. Therefore, we call on both states to find common ground at a negotiating table, to reach an agreement. There is no other way. A bad peace is better than a good war. Without peace, there will be no development.”

“Kazakhstan, for its part, is ready to provide all possible assistance, including mediation services, if, of course, they are required,” President Tokayev said.

Commenting on the sanctions against Russia, and their potential impact on Kazakhstan, the President informed that he held a series of working meetings with the Security Council and set specific tasks for the Government to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of Kazakhstan.

He said: “Our economy needs to be ready to repel the challenges posed by sanctions to ensure uninterrupted functioning in a crisis situation. I believe that we will overcome the difficulties and challenges together.” He emphasized that the challenges should not be underestimated, but there is no need to exaggerate them either.