ASTANA: Germany is interested in enhanced trade with Kazakhstan while also ensuring such trade is not used to bypass EU sanctions on Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on a visit to the Central Asian state.
Both Scholz and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said both countries were interested in expanding trade in oil, lithium, rare earths and other raw materials.
The two leaders met ahead of a broader meeting between Scholz and all five Central Asian leaders, a new example of more active Western diplomacy in which Russia has been in the backyard.
Kazakhstan has already stepped in to replace Russia as the supplier of crude oil for Germany’s Schwedt refinery. The visit of Scholz comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to halt sales of metals such as titanium to unfriendly countries.
