MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. Kazakh companies do not want to fall under secondary sanctions, but Kazakhstan is Russia’s closest ally and the two countries will continue to work on their strategic partnership, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Russia, Dauren Abayev, said at a press conference at TASS.
"There are companies in Kazakhstan that have fallen under secondary sanctions. There are not many of them, but they exist, probably about 10 companies in total," he noted, answering a question about whether the threat of secondary sanctions could affect economic cooperation with Moscow.
"Naturally, Kazakh companies do not want to fall under sanctions. This is logical, because any sanctions directly or indirectly limit activities," he added.
The ambassador reiterated that there is a strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Russia and the two countries are close allies.
"Trade turnover, which has been steadily growing over the past few years, is clear evidence that we will work with the Russian Federation," he added.
In August, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin told Bloomberg that Astana "will not blindly follow" sanctions against Russia and will not allow the country's companies to be banned from trading.
He noted that Astana will continue to adhere to Western restrictions, since the republic "will not withstand" if sanctions are imposed against it.
Commenting on the inclusion of the country's companies in the UK sanctions list in early November, Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Nurlan Baibazarov said that the violation of sanctions is not systemic. He called the companies in question one-day firms and assured that the republic as a whole will comply with the restrictions.