Kazakhstan wants to be less dependent on neighboring Russia for the export of its oil. President Kassim-Zhomart Tokayev on Thursday ordered his government to look for new ways to get the black gold abroad.
Tokaev calls the establishment of new export routes a “priority”. He also instructed his government to boost export capacity to China.
Pipeline Russia
About 80 percent of the oil exported by Kazakhstan goes via an oil pipeline of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) to the Russian port city of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. Kazakhstan itself borders only on the completely landlocked Caspian Sea.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, Kazakh exports have regularly failed. There were interruptions in March and June. On the Russian side, it was official that the pipeline was damaged by a storm and that there was danger from mines from World War II, but observers say the Russian government wants to pressure its historic ally to remain neutral in the conflict with Ukraine.
More oil and gas for EU
Earlier, Kazakhstan’s refusal to recognize the independence of the Moscow-protected self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine has sparked resentment. Tokayev had already offered the European Union to supply more oil and gas.
Closed by court
Kazakh oil exports were hit again this week as CPC’s oil terminal in Novorossiysk has been shut down by court order. The issue revolves around incomplete documentation of emergency plans in the event of an oil spill. Initially, Russian authorities had given CPC until November 30 to sort out the documents, but during a court hearing on Tuesday, they suddenly demanded the terminal’s closure and were proved right.
Critics again see the Russian government’s hand in this, but deny that the court’s decision was politically influenced. CPC said on Wednesday that it is “forced” to comply with the verdict, but that it will appeal.
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