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from https://kyivindependent.com/russia-west-fight-for-kazakhstan-as-astana-plays-both-sides/

Russia, West fight for Kazakhstan as Astana plays both sides
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (R) and Russian President
Vladimir Putin (L) attend their meeting at the Ak Orda Presidential
Palace, Nov. 9, 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan. (Contributor/Getty Images) KAZAKHSTAN, EASTERN EUROPE

by Katie Marie Davies
November 12, 2023 6:03 PM
8 min read

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On the surface, Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Kazakhstan on
Nov. 9 exuded an air of business as usual.

The Russian leader was met at dawn on the tarmac of Astana airport by Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before being greeted by an official guard of honor.

The trip coincided with the 19th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional
Cooperation Forum, an annual gathering focusing on bilateral ties, held
in the northern Kazakhstan city of Kostanay.

Speeches from both leaders focused heavily on trade links, many of which
have benefited from sanctions imposed on Russia elsewhere, as well as
new deals on energy, customs, and labor issues.

How Russia’s liberal tech companies became the foundation of Putin’s war effort

But the visit — Putin's third international trip since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest — came only days after
French President Emmanual Macron was welcomed in the country, some
pundits mistakenly have called Russia's backyard.

In recent months, Western leaders have taken a number of trips to
Central Asia, rushing to show interest in a region they neglected for
years. Their actions have heralded a new drive to gain more influence in
a country that Moscow still sees as within its sphere of control.

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