Russia to open one more consulate in Kazakhstan

Russia decided to open a general consulate in Aktau and has already obtained consent from the government of Kazakhstan, according to the Komsomoslkaya Pravda newspaper, citing Yevgeny Ivanov, deputy foreign minister of Russia. This is going to be the fourth Russian general consulate in Kazakhstan.

Why is Russia opening a new consulate? According to Ivanov, Russia is going to «significantly expand» its diplomatic presence abroad soon.

«All necessary decisions are made and negotiated with foreign governments. We are going to open embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea, general consulates in Kapane (Armenia), Aktau (Kazakhstan), Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Denpasar (Indonesia) and Male (the Maldives),» he said.

The official also noted that Russia will open diplomatic and consulate missions in a range of other countries in regions that have become crucial for Russia.

Where are Russian general consulates located in Kazakhstan? By now, Russia runs general consulates in Almaty, Uralsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk.

What kind of relations do Kazakhstan and Russia have?

In the middle of December 2023, Dauren Abaev, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Russia, told the RBC TV channel that Astana is going to develop its relations with Moscow «despite everything» and the West «understands this very well.» The ambassador also said that Kazakhstan is going to support further development of the Kazakh language but at the expense of the Russian language.

On December 22, 2023, Russian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Alexey Borodavkin said that the partnership between Moscow and Astana is based on principles of equal rights, acknowledging sovereignty and non-interference to the internal affairs of each other, while relations between President Tokayev and President Putin are «truly friendly.»