ASTANA, June 5. /TASS/. Authorities of Kazakhstan do not support the sanction policy of the United States and the European Union in respect of Russia and other countries but have to observe it, Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin told reporters at the briefing.

"This indeed affects us strongly. Many logistical and trade chains are ruptured because of that. We are not a coalition member, do not support this sanction policy unilaterally but we will observe it because it is beneficial for us from the economic point of view. Our economy is small, we will not withstand the sanction pressure, our enterprises [will not withstand] in the first instance," the official said.

A working group is functioning in Kazakhstan, which is holding talks on sanction matters with US and EU authorities, he noted. "We are constantly in touch with decision-makers in the United States and in the European Union. This is painstaking work bust most importantly, Kazakhstan always have a preventive chance [for restriction] owing to the foreign policy it is pursuing. We always receive warnings about measures that can be taken in respect of certain companies operating in this market and endeavor to take preventive measures," Zhumangarin said.