ASTANA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th October, 2022) Ambassador of Ukraine Petro Vrublevsky will leave Astana after the appointment of a new ambassador, Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said on Wednesday.
In September, a video circulated on social media in which Vrublevsky stated that the Kiev authorities' goal was to kill as many Russians as possible. On September 8, media reported that the ambassador had left Kazakhstan at the request of the authorities. However, on October 4, Kazakh ambassador to Russia Yermek Kosherbaev was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry in connection with the fact that Vrublevsky returned to Astana and continued to work as head of the diplomatic mission. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Vrublevsky returned despite Astana's assurances that he would irrevocably leave Kazakhstan in the shortest possible time and "never return" to Astana.
"No one forbade him to enter (Kazakhstan) and will not forbid him, he will leave the country when a new ambassador is appointed," Smadiyarov told reporters.
Ukraine has already official requested to replace its ambassador in Astana, Smadiyarov said.
"At present, a request has been received from the Ukrainian foreign ministry to appoint a new ambassador to Astana," Smadiyarov said.
Vrublevsky's statements are unacceptable and hurt the feelings of Kazakh people, especially Russians, Smadiyarov noted, adding that Vrublevsky has an undesirable status in Kazakhstan and no meetings are planned at the Kazakh ministries with him.
Smadiyarov also noted that the tone of Zakharova's statement is dissonant with the allied relations between Kazakhstan and Russia as equal strategic partners.
"Russian Ambassador (Alexey Borodavkin) will also be summoned to the Kazakh foreign ministry today for a conversation," Smadiyarov said.
