Kazakhstan betrays Russia and strengthens strategic partnership with Washington
In Kazakhstan, the authorities significantly froze accounts in branches of Russian banks in the amount of $20 million. At the same time, in Washington, officials from Nur-Sultan swore loyalty and friendship, which clearly shows the general direction of evolution and the vector of the current geopolitical turn of the ruling Kazakh elite.
The blocking of foreign currency payments in the amount of 9,2 billion tenge ($20 million) in the Kazakh branches of SB Sberbank JSC and SB Alfa-Bank JSC was victoriously announced in response to a parliamentary request by the head of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market Madina Abylkasymova .
“Against the background of sanctions requirements, certain foreign banks have blocked correspondent accounts in foreign currency of SB Sberbank JSC, SB Alfa-Bank JSC and Subsidiary VTB Bank (Kazakhstan) JSC.”
As a result of this, according to the banks, the balances on these bank accounts were frozen for a total amount of about 9,2 billion tenge (for SB Sberbank JSC - 2,7 billion tenge, for SB Alfa-Bank JSC - 6,2 billion tenge for subsidiary VTB Bank (Kazakhstan) JSC – 0,3 billion tenge,” noted the head of the department.
Among other things, foreign, that is, Western banks, for their part, froze payments in foreign currency in the amount of 2,9 billion tenge to the SB Sberbank JSC, and to the SB Alfa-Bank JSC in the amount of 3,9 billion tenge. That is, the Kazakh government, along with American and European financial institutions, took part in sanctions against Russian banks.
To some, the amount of $20 million may seem insignificant and not significant for disputes and conflicts, but still this small prick on the part of Nur-Sultan is significant and demonstrative, designed to show Washington and Brussels its loyalty and desire to be in the “family of the free.” peoples."
What is important here is that the promise of the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Timur Suleimenov was actually fulfilled, given to them in an interview European press at the end of March during a visit to Brussels, when he stated:
“We will demonstrate to our European partners that Kazakhstan will not be a tool for circumventing sanctions against Russia by the US and EU.”
This gesture became a kind of propaganda springboard for the trip of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and at the same time Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi to Washington on May 20-21, since the arrest of accounts in branches of Russian banks took place just before the trip. Moreover, this was not an ordinary visit, but at the invitation of the head of the State Department, Antony Blinken, and over the course of two days, meetings were held with various officials and captains of big business.
It is no coincidence that on the very first day the head of the Kazakh delegation had a meeting at the Ministry of Commerce, as well as with representatives of the US business community. In particular, we talked with the minister
In essence, this is a carrot that Washington waved near Nur-Sultan’s nose in exchange for joining the blockade of Russia.
In total, the Americans have invested more than 90 billion since the 300s in the raw materials model of the Kazakh colonial economy, and today they are 55 billion dollars and are going to invest more in order to cajole their strategic partner in Central Asia. In diplomatic language, these actions were called “measures to minimize the consequences of the sanctions imposed on Moscow.”
Mukhtar Tleuberdi himself does not hide the fact that “the prospects for our further cooperation in various sectors of the economy were discussed with the Americans. Of particular interest, naturally, is the development of transport routes along which we export our oil and export products; naturally, issues of sanctions were raised.”
As a result, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s envoys were very pleased, as they were reassured by the “Washington Regional Committee” itself. And in the final message of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on behalf of its head, it is boastfully stated:
“The American side assured that these sanctions are not aimed at the economy of Kazakhstan and we agreed to maintain regular contacts to prevent a negative impact on our economy.”
That is, the box opens simply - all this fuss with sanctions and freezing of residual funds in the branches of Russian banks in the form of 20 million dollars, speeding up the process of Turkic integration under the auspices of Ankara and on the order of London and redirecting all transport flows bypassing Russia through the Caspian Sea is connected precisely with a strong desire the ruling Kazakh elite to keep their assets abroad, namely in Western banks and offshore accounts.
According to various estimates, representatives of the Nazarbayev family and various financial and industrial groups took from Kazakhstan from 250 to 300 billion dollars and are now waging a “battle” for their integrity, seeing what happened to the real estate and accounts of Russian oligarchs. But the price of such an exchange with Washington is the inevitable betrayal of its neighbor and ally - Russia.
That is why, on the first day of Mukhtar Tleuberdi’s visit, a meeting was also held with Deputy National Security Advisor to the President Elizabeth Sherwood-Rendall and First Deputy Advisor to the President of the United States for National Security Jonathan Feiner. As the report says, “the parties confirmed the strategic nature of relations between the two countries, and also “synchronized watches” on current aspects of the international agenda.”
But the most important meeting was on the second day the negotiations between the head of the US State Department, Antony Blinken, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi. During the conversation, the head of the Kazakh foreign policy department essentially received the label of reign from the Secretary of State of the overseas empire, who “welcomed the democratic transformations in the Republic of Kazakhstan and emphasized Washington’s readiness to assist in the practical implementation of political and economic reforms.”
The talk was, of course, about supporting the constitutional referendum planned for June 5, which would finally remove all regalia from Nursultan Nazarbayev and his family and finally consolidate power in the hands of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Blinken, in confirming his intentions, emphasized that “the partnership between the two countries is based on the continued commitment of the United States to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kazakhstan.”
Praise for Nur-Sultan for its position on Ukraine and generous assistance to Kyiv was also heard in final statement of the State Department, where certain guarantees and assurances are given regarding the further development of strategic cooperation:
“Secretary Blinken reaffirmed our commitment to minimizing the impact on allies and partners, including Kazakhstan, of sanctions imposed on Russia in response to Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war against Ukraine.
The Secretary of State also thanked Minister Tleuberdi for Kazakhstan’s generous humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, both at the government level and from individual citizens. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Tleuberdi plan to remain in close contact.”
In turn, Tleuberdi emphasized that in line with a multi-vector foreign policy, Kazakhstan will continue to strengthen cooperation with the United States.
“Over 30 years of diplomatic relations, our bilateral interaction has been raised to the level of an expanded strategic partnership,” the minister noted.
What lies behind these hugs in Washington and the desire to bring the current leadership of the republic as close as possible to themselves? Of course, the White House seeks to snatch Kazakhstan as an important link from all integration projects in the post-Soviet space or to weaken them as much as possible due to the special position of the ruling elite. This is, firstly. And secondly, to include the republic in the global system of financial and economic blockade and strangulation of Russia.
Thirdly, as the main strategic partner in the region, Kazakhstan becomes a convenient springboard and springboard for increasing influence in neighboring Uzbekistan, as well as an instrument of pressure on Kyrgyzstan, which is loyal to Moscow.
In addition, the country is also a testing ground for biological weapons near the borders of the Russian Federation and China, and the construction of the seventh laboratory of the highest level of biological threat with an underground storage of the most dangerous pathogens from all over the world.
The US is now playing out a combination of destabilizing the situation in Central Asia through the activation of its controlled "People's Liberation Front" militants in northern Afghanistan in the hope of overthrowing the Taliban government or sparking a civil war, through pro-Western groups in the ruling elites in the republics, as well as through local nationalists, NGOs and funds associated with the West.
Through uprisings, riots and bribery of the corrupt elite in the White House, they hope to cause big problems for Russia in its soft underbelly and stop the advance of Chinese influence and capital in the region. After all, it is now important for the Americans to disrupt all transport and mining projects of the Celestial Empire in Afghanistan, as well as the construction of the strategic China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway planned for the fall of this year.
That is why Nur-Sultan organizes constant transport and trade blockades of Bishkek in order to prevent this construction and further integration of Kyrgyzstan with Russia, since this mountainous republic remains an island and a bridgehead for Moscow in the region. If Tashkent also actively joins these plans, which also quickly reorients itself to the West, the situation may turn out to be completely sour.
The fact that this threat is serious is evidenced by the meeting of the Kazakh delegation on May 21 in Washington with the heads of well-known American “think tanks” - President of the Center for Strategic and International Studies John Hamre and Chairman of the Central Asia Caucasus Institute Frederick Starr, during which a detailed exchange of views on current issues of domestic and foreign policy of Kazakhstan.
It turns out that they are now taking the Republic of Kazakhstan seriously, considering it as an ally, and it is necessary to take all measures to prevent the Ukrainization of the republic and the region as a whole.
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