This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/worldnews by /u/Uncle_Redleg on 2023-11-01 10:27:45.
Kazakhstan welcomes France's Macron under Moscow's disapproving gaze
Submitted 2 years ago by bot@lemmit.online [bot] to worldnews@lemmit.online
autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] 2 years ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:
ASTANA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday on the first leg of a trip to Central Asia, a region long regarded as Russia’s backyard which has drawn fresh Western attention since the war in Ukraine began.
Oil-rich Kazakhstan has already emerged as a replacement supplier of crude to European nations turning off Russian supply and an important link in the new China-Europe trade route bypassing Russia.
In addition to oil, Kazakhstan is a major exporter of uranium, and France’s Orano already operates a joint venture with its state nuclear firm Kazatomprom.
“I don’t underestimate by any means the geopolitical difficulties, the pressures … that some may be putting on you,” Macron told Tokayev, who called the visit “historic.”
While on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kazakhstan as a sovereign state was free to develop ties with any countries, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week the West was trying to pull Russia’s “neighbours, friends and allies” away from it.
Asked about Macron’s visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia valued its relations with Kazakhstan “very highly.”
The original article contains 387 words, the summary contains 184 words. Saved 52%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!