informkz.com

Kazakhstani companies may be added to the sanctions list as the European Union prepares a new package.

David O'Sullivan, the European Union's Special Envoy for Sanctions, has arrived in Kazakhstan for a visit aimed at discussing issues related to sanctions policy, reports Zakon.kz correspondent.
Евросоюз разрабатывает новый пакет санкций, который может включить казахстанские компании в черный список.

This morning, the special envoy met with Kazakh officials. They discussed issues related to the exclusion of military goods from the Russian market. The EU representative noted significant progress in reducing the volume of such exports to Russia.

"We are currently preparing the new, 16th, sanctions package. It is possible that Kazakh companies may be added to the list, but no decision has been made yet. In this regard, I would like to particularly emphasize once again that only those companies for which we have irrefutable evidence of their involvement in sanction violations will be added to the list," stated David O'Sullivan on January 30, 2025, in Astana.

He reminded that so far, two Kazakh companies have been added to the sanctions list.

"We are concerned that some representatives of unscrupulous businesses may view and use Kazakhstan as a platform to circumvent sanctions and, taking advantage of this, resell high-tech products manufactured in the EU. These could be used in armaments for the Russian Federation, such as missiles, drones, and artillery," explained David O'Sullivan.

The official emphasized that the European Union fully respects Kazakhstan's position of not joining EU sanctions, does not insist on it, and does not intend to damage the legitimate trade relations between the RF and RK.

"Kazakh companies were also identified during the inspection. They were included on the list solely due to their involvement in illegal trade and their assistance to the Russian military-industrial complex. This was done to ensure compliance with the sanctions we have imposed," said David O'Sullivan.

He added that military goods account for less than 1% of the total trade turnover and are not of significant economic importance.

It was previously reported that six Kazakh companies have been sanctioned by the UK.