Germany increasingly perceives Central Asia as an interesting region. During the state visit of the Federal President to Kazakhstan, there was much talk of increased cooperation.
Germany and Kazakhstan want to comprehensively expand their relations. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Kazakh President Kassym-Schomart Tokayev agreed on this on Tuesday. “We want even more and closer partnership with Kazakhstan and the states of Central Asia,” said Steinmeier in the capital Astana at the beginning of a two-day state visit. Tokayev expressed the hope “that our cooperation will reach a new level”. On the fringes of the visit, regular crude oil deliveries for the PCK refinery in Schwedt, Brandenburg, were agreed.
“For us in Germany, Kazakhstan is a key partner in the Central Asian region. And I mean that politically, culturally and, of course, economically,” said Steinmeier.
Tokayev called Germany a “very reliable partner” in many areas. He pointed out that Kazakhstan accounts for 83 percent of Germany’s trade volume with the Central Asian states. His country, in turn, supplies energy and raw materials for the German economy and is one of the four most important oil suppliers for Germany. “Our economies complement each other in many ways,” Tokayev said.
“Good news” for energy security
The agreement for the PCK refinery in Schwedt stipulates that Kazakhstan will supply 100,000 tons of crude oil per month until the end of 2024. According to German information, this increases their capacity utilization by ten percentage points. “This is good news for Schwedt and good news for energy security in Germany,” said Steinmeier. Until the end of 2022, the refinery mainly processed crude oil from Russia, now it is looking for new suppliers.
Kazakhstan has large deposits of oil and gas as well as raw materials such as rare earths. Not least because of the vastness of the country, it is also considered a good location for wind power and solar systems. Kazakhstan is almost eight times the size of Germany, but with a good 19 million people it has less than a quarter of the population. The common border with Russia is around 7,600 kilometers long, and that with China is almost 1,800 kilometers.
Freedom of the press is not a priority
The country is ruled authoritarian. International observers see deficiencies in the freedom of the press, expression and assembly. For example, Kazakhstan is ranked 134th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2023 Press Freedom Index. For comparison: Germany ranks 21st.
The Central Asian state is also suspected of circumventing EU sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine war. That was also the subject of the talks between the two presidents. Steinmeier then emphasized: “We must make every effort to prevent the sanctions from being overturned.” Tokayev assured: “We stick to the sanctions.”
Different assessments of the end of the war in Ukraine became apparent. Tokayev called for a ceasefire as soon as possible and said “that a bad peace is better than a good war”. Steinmeier emphasized that the goal must be a “just peace” that preserves the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. “We’re a long way from that, as things stand.”
Source: Stern
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