«The Ambassador of Belarus was called in to the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Kazakhstan. Current issues of Kazakhstan-Belarus cooperation were discussed both at the bilateral level and within the framework of multilateral organizations during the meeting of the Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu with the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus Pavel Utyupin. In particular, the minister emphasized that Kazakhstan pursues a balanced and peaceful foreign policy in accordance with the UN Charter and the fundamental norms of international law. Our country is firmly convinced that all disagreements between states should be resolved by political and diplomatic means. In the current geopolitical conditions, the foreign policy course of the country developed by the head of state has proven its effectiveness,» the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan reports.
As the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan noted, «in this regard, the minister called on the Belarusian side to objectively assess Astana’s position regarding the ongoing processes.»
The statement by the Foreign Ministry followed an interview with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in which he criticized the foreign policy of several post-Soviet republics, specifically mentioning Kazakhstan.
He recalled that when «something happened in Kazakhstan,» Astana turned not to China, India or Pakistan, but to Moscow and Minsk: «Putin, Lukashenko, help!» And we deployed (CSTO peacekeepers) there within half a day — our planes were already landing there, in Kazakhstan. They calmed it down."
