Kyodo News
April 29, 2022

Japan asks Kazakhstan to align with int’l community against Russia

Japan on Friday asked Kazakhstan to keep in line with the international community against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi made the request at a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tileuberdi in Nur-Sultan, following Kazakhstan’s abstention last month from the U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russia.

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Hayashi also met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier in the day. They agreed to develop the bilateral relations, the ministry said.

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Hayashi is on his five-day trip through Monday, during which he will also visit Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

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Tokyo has been trying to enhance economic relations with Central Asia in an apparent effort to counter the increasing influence of China, which continues to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects in the region through its “Belt and Road” initiative.

In 2004, Japan launched a foreign ministerial dialogue with five Central Asian countries, also involving Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, for regional development.

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Nikkei Asia
April 29, 2022

Japan asks Kazakhstan to align against Russian war on Ukraine
Foreign minister Hayashi on Central Asian tour with stops in Uzbekistan and Mongolia

Japan on Friday asked Kazakhstan to keep in line with the international community against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi made the request at a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tileuberdi in Nur-Sultan, following Kazakhstan’s abstention last month from the U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russia.

***

Tokyo has been trying to enhance economic relations with Central Asia in an apparent effort to counter the increasing influence of China, which continues to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects in the region through its Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2004, Japan launched a foreign ministerial dialogue with five Central Asian countries, also involving Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, for regional development.