Astana, Kazakhstan, Oct. 27
By Daniar Mukhtarov - Trend:
The sanctions against Russia will not affect US relations with other countries and in particular with the countries in Central Asia, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Hoagland said Oct. 27.
He made the remarks at a roundtable meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan answering to a question by Trend.
Hoagland said, when the US and other countries were drafting sanctions against Russia, they took a very careful approach and tried to make them point-directed to individuals and companies, and not to affect relations with other countries.
"When they were making decisions, they were aware that the sanctions can affect other countries in the region. And we were very careful to make sure that our sanctions will not affect negatively the region's countries, including Kazakhstan," Hoagland added.
He said the US hopes that in the near future the Russian government will abandon the actions taken in relation to Ukraine, and then the sanctions will be lifted.
"The sanctions were imposed against Russia because it violated international norms, in particular the territorial integrity of another state was not respected, which is a serious violation of international norms," he said.
Hoagland added that during his visit to Astana, he will meet with senior officials of Kazakhstan and said that Kazakhstan is an important partner for the US in the region.
