French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday as part of the first leg of a tour of Central Asia, a region long considered Russia’s backyard but which has regained Western attention since the start of the war in Ukraine, News.ro reported, citing Reuters.

Oil-rich Kazakhstan has already emerged as a potential supplier of Russian crude to European countries that have cut off supplies from Russia, and is an important link in a new China-Europe trade route that bypasses Russia.

In addition to oil, Kazakhstan is a major exporter of uranium, and the French company Orano already has a joint venture with the state nuclear company Kazatomprom.

During a meeting with his colleague Kassym-Jomart Tokaev, Emmanuel Macron congratulated Kazakhstan on its refusal to side with Moscow in the war in Ukraine and noted that the two countries signed business agreements, including a declaration of intent for partnership in the sphere of both countries. rare earths and rare metals.

“I in no way underestimate the geopolitical difficulties, the pressure that some may put on you,” Macron told Tokayev, who, in turn, called the visit “historic.”

“France appreciates the path you are taking for your country, refusing to be a vassal of any power and striving to build numerous and balanced relations with various countries,” the French president emphasized to the host.

Russia has expressed concern about the increasingly intense diplomatic activity of the West in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Kazakhstan, as a sovereign state, was free to develop ties with any country, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that the West was trying to alienate Russia’s “neighbors, its traditional friends and allies”.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the next country Macron will visit, have refused to recognize Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories and have pledged to abide by Western sanctions against Moscow, while naming both Russia and Western powers such as France as strategic partners.

“We respect our friends, we are here when they need us and we respect their independence,” Macron said. “And in a world where great powers want to become a hegemon and where regional powers are becoming unpredictable, it is good to have friends who share this philosophy,” the French head of state emphasized.

Asked about Macron’s visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia “very much” values ​​its relations with Kazakhstan. “For our part, we have historical ties, ties of strategic partnership with Kazakhstan, they are our allies, and our interests are united in many international bodies,” Peskov told reporters, News.ro reported with reference to Reuters.