Astana, Jan 30 (EFE).- David O’Sullivan, the EU special envoy for sanctions, announced Thursday that there has been a “considerable reduction” in the transit of Western goods subject to sanctions through Kazakhstan to Russia. The sanctions were imposed on Moscow in response to the war in Ukraine.
Kazakhstan’s Role in Preventing Sanctions Evasion
O’Sullivan, who is currently on his fourth official visit to Kazakhstan, stated during a press conference in Astana that transit of these goods through the country had significantly decreased.
“I met with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Roman Vassilenko, who is responsible for this issue along with other officials. During our meeting, we discussed the inadmissibility of strategically important products manufactured in Europe, the USA, or Japan reaching the Russian market,” he explained.
The Irish diplomat welcomed Astana’s cooperation in ensuring that sanctions are not circumvented and expressed satisfaction with Kazakhstan’s commitment to compliance.
Balancing Trade with Enforcement
O’Sullivan reiterated that while the EU respects Kazakhstan’s right to trade with Russia, it opposes the re-export of sanctioned goods.
“The EU fully respects Kazakhstan’s position not to join the sanctions. We do not and will not insist on Kazakhstan endorsing them,” he stated. However, he lamented that some businesspeople have been exploiting Kazakhstan’s trade routes to bypass sanctions.
He specifically pointed out that unscrupulous traders have been reselling EU-manufactured goods, particularly cutting-edge technologies, which could be used for weapons production in Russia.
The EU’s Position on Kazakhstan-Russia Trade Relations
Despite concerns over sanctions evasion, O’Sullivan emphasized that the EU does not interfere with legitimate trade between Kazakhstan and Russia.
“We have never attempted, and we do not attempt, in any way to interfere with normal, legitimate trade between Kazakhstan and Russia,” he assured. EFE