President Tokayev urges Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement

Nur-Sultan, 1 March 2022 – Today, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev commented on the situation in Ukraine during the XXII 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 the negotiating table, stressing that “a bad peace is better than a good war”. Commenting on wider state and regional security, he said: "Our stance should proceed from the critical need to ensure the safety, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country. As a state that hosted the OSCE summit in 2010, we insist on the principle of the indivisibility of Eurasian security. I said this during my visit to Moscow on February 10."

Tokayev further noted that the principle of indivisibility and common security stipulates mutual understanding based on mutual trust, adding that “unfortunately, this has not happened”. “The Minsk agreements remained only on paper, which led to the military operations on the territory of Ukraine”, the Head of State explained. He observed that the geopolitical situation has escalated in an unprecedented way, and it is now time to talk about the irreversibility of this trend.

The Head of State added that Kazakhstan is ready to provide all possible assistance to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, including mediation services, if necessary.

Commenting on the sanctions against Russia, and their potential impact on Kazakhstan, President Tokayev 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.