Tokayev shakes hands with Zelenskyy: Allies' disloyalty to Russia is escalating

Konstantin Zatulin: Kazakhstan aims to show that it is not a vassal of Moscow

(Image caption: Vladimir Zelenskyy meets with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev)

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Zelenskyy during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Official platforms released photos of the two shaking hands and smiling, and mentioned that they discussed bilateral economic and cultural cooperation.

Zelenskyy explained his views on the Ukraine-Russia conflict to Tokayev, while Tokayev suggested continuing diplomatic efforts to find a way to reconciliation. "Continuing" - this sounds as if the head of the Kiev regime had previously initiated diplomatic efforts. But in fact, he had only been escalating the conflict.

Is it too much for Russia's allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and other economic integration organizations to openly throw themselves into the arms of our enemy? Regarding this question, Russian State Duma member and director of the Institute of CIS Countries, Konstantin Zatulin, responded to "Free News."

"Free News": Konstantin Fedorovich, when our "friends" discuss friendship and cooperation with Zelenskyy, are they betraying Russia?

Zatulin: I prefer to speak with strong arguments rather than harsh words. Of course, any deviation from the overall line can be considered a betrayal when it comes to allies, but is it wise to force such a dead end in the wide-ranging and diverse relations with CIS countries?

Regarding Kazakhstan, it is clear that this country, like our other neighbors and members of the common union, tries to cooperate with Russia, but does not want to close any other possibilities for itself - whether it is cooperation with the United States, Europe, or China.

In the current situation, these neighbors do not see the need to support Russia on the position towards the Kiev regime.

I would like to remind you that in 2022, at that time, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) had not yet joined Russia, but had been recognized by Russia as independent states, and Tokayev at that time said that he would never recognize a state arising from ethnic conflicts, the will of the people, and their right to self-determination.

At that time, when answering Margarita Simonyan's question, he clearly stated that he opposed the destruction of territorial integrity and called Donetsk and Luhansk "quasi-states," and also categorized South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the same way.

This stance was not unique to Kazakhstan. Belarus, despite its close relationship with us, has not recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia to date.

This can be interpreted differently. At the worst level, we could consider it as disloyalty to Russia.

If we take the standards of Western countries and NATO allies, such behavior is probably not allowed. However, in our relations with neighbors and allies, we give them a lot more freedom. We will not force them to be in step with us on special military operations (SVO) or recognizing other countries.

"Free News": Is this an advantage or a disadvantage of our foreign policy?

Zatulin: This will undoubtedly raise a series of issues, not only on the macroeconomic level, but also on the human level - for example, in some CIS countries, people have been arrested and imprisoned for supporting Russia in the Ukraine conflict, and we have had to deal with this issue. Kazakhstan also faces similar situations.

As for the meeting between Tokayev and Zelenskyy, its nature is more of a "routine matter" - Tokayev needs to use this to "improve his image," especially when dealing with the United States (which is currently exporting $4 billion worth of locomotives to Kazakhstan) and other Western countries.

Tokayev needs to prove that he is not a vassal of Moscow, but represents an independent country that can act according to its own will.

The purpose of the meeting is exactly that. But this does not mean that Kazakhstan has joined the West and formed an alliance against Russia on the Ukraine issue.

However, we must be clear that Kazakhstan's policies are quite dualistic, and in any case, it is very different from North Korea's policies - North Korea is on our side.

We must take this into account, and now arguing about "who is a traitor and who is not," in my opinion, is premature.

"Free News": At the beginning of this year, Zelenskyy's meeting with Aliyev shocked many experts. When you were interviewed by "Free News" at that time, you made a very severe evaluation of Azerbaijan's economic cooperation with the Ukrainian regime. But this time your reaction is much calmer. Have we become accustomed to it, or are we adopting double standards in this case?

Zatulin: Yes, I think we should adopt a differentiated approach depending on the country.

Firstly, the relationship between Azerbaijan and the Ukrainian regime is much closer. As far as we know, Baku either directly or through intermediaries engages in arms deals with Kyiv, and also provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Azerbaijan is our competitor in the global energy market. Recently, it has taken a number of unfriendly actions against us, such as arresting our citizens within Azerbaijan, and high-level officials making related statements.

We have not seen similar behavior from Kazakhstan, so our expression will be more moderate. The meeting between Tokayev and Zelenskyy is a rare event, while the intensity of interaction between Azerbaijan and Ukraine is much higher.

Azerbaijan has become Turkey's "little brother" in the Caucasus, and the two countries have achieved military integration. But we cannot say that Kazakhstan is the same, although its relationship with Turkey is developing, and both countries are members of the Turkic Council.

Nevertheless, I agree with one thing: the phenomenon of "maintaining relations with Russia while not closing the door to Ukraine" has a similar essence in both cases, and it is likely not something that will make us happy.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553568287737512489/

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