Russia Won’t “Persuade” Kazakhstan to Join Union State

Russia isn’t going to invite or persuade Kazakhstan to join a Union State of Russia and Belarus, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a press conference on the result of Russian diplomacy in 2021, the TASS news agency reported.

«There is a special mechanism of such joining. If we get a petition, of course, we would review it carefully,» said Lavrov while responding to a question about the possible joining of Kazakhstan to the Union State.

Unlike Western alliances, Russia isn’t used to persuading other countries to join it, he said.

«They are so active in inviting all around to join NATO. We don’t operate like that,» he stated.

The Union State is an integration project by Russia and Belarus; the two countries have developed the union since the end of the 1990s. They are going to create a common parliament, currency and legislation.