DISINFO: The West tries to fuel inter-ethnic and internal political tensions in Kazakhstan
SUMMARY
The sanctions imposed on Russia have had a mixed impact on Kazakhstan. While they've presented some opportunities, they've also brought challenges. There are ongoing efforts to drag Kazakhstan into various conflicts and destabilise the country. Despite Astana's efforts to stay neutral, there's significant pressure from the West, which is trying to stoke inter-ethnic and internal political tensions within the country. If provocations escalate, Kazakhstan might need to adjust its neutral stance.
RESPONSE
Amplification of pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the meddling of "the West" in fueling the ethnic and political tensions in a country. The claim is made in the context of restrictive measures imposed by the EU on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
There is no credible evidence to support the claim about foreign interference of any kind by the West in Kazakhstan or any other country or region.
The EU respects the decision of other countries, like Kazakhstan, not to join the sanctions and works with Kazakhstan in order to prevent the use of its territory as a platform for the circumvention of EU sanctions imposed on Russia. The EU welcomes constructive dialogue with the Kazakh authorities regarding sanctions circumvention. A dialogue is going on in this respect on both political and technical level.
Political, economic, cultural, trade, military, and security partnerships between Kazakhstan and the EU aim to foster mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to counter Russia or any other nation. The EU - Central Asia strategy outlines three priority strands for EU engagement: investing in regional cooperation and partnering for resilience and prosperity.
During his second visit to Astana on November 28, 2023 David O'Sullivan, the European Union's Special Envoy for the implementation of sanctions, stressed that ‘The purpose of these visits is not to persuade countries to adopt our sanctions or to align with them, but to discuss with them how they can avoid their jurisdiction being used as a platform for the circumvention of our sanctions or indeed as a platform for servicing the Russian military industrial complex.’
See this fact sheet on EU relations with Central Asia as well as our article In Kazakhstan and Central Asia the Kremlin cries Russophobia.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that the West plans to destabilise Central Asia, US-sponsored Kazakhstan protests aimed to undermine CIS stability, that protests in Kazakhstan are a new Western attempt to organise a colour revolution, that events in Kazakhstan are another Western-made colour revolution or that EU and US aim to generate a new wave of anti-government protests in Belarus.