Nazarbayev calls US and EU anti-Russia sanctions 'barbaric'

    President Nursultan Nazarbayev has described US and European Union sanctions against Russia as “barbaric,” saying that they are harming Kazakhstan and calling for the "de-dollarization" of the Central Asian country's economy.
    Speaking at a cabinet session on February 11, Nazarbayev said he is confident Russia "will manage to get out of the economic hardships with honor -- and we will do so as well."
    The remarks were a shift in tone for Nazarbayev, who has issued veiled criticism of Moscow in recent months over the repercussions that its interference in Ukraine has had upon Kazakhstan and other Russian trade partners in the Eurasian Economic Union.
    Nazarbayev said the Russian ruble's steep decline during the past year has hurt Kazakh companies.
    But he indirectly blamed the West, saying the situtaion was caused by "external factors" and had nothing to do with Kazakhstan’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union.
    Nazarbaeyv called on the National Bank "to de-dollarize the Kazakh economy" and urged citizens and companies to exchange their US dollars for Kazakh tenge.
    He called for belt-tightening measures, saying Kazakhs should stop wasting money on parties and urging them to buy domestic goods instead of imports, according to RFE/RL.