Kazakh Foreign Ministry Summoned Ukrainian Ambassador to Protest Over Remarks on Russians

NUR-SULTAN (Sputnik) - The Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it had summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Petro Vrublevsky to express a protest over his recent remarks regarding Russians.

"The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting between Deputy Minister ... and the ambassador of Ukraine to Kazakhstan ... During the meeting, the ambassador was protested in connection with his statements in an interview on August 21 of this year with Kazakh blogger," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry slammed the remarks as unacceptable and incompatible with the activities of the ambassador of a foreign state.

Meanwhile, the Association of Russian, Slavic and Cossack Organizations of Kazakhstan (ARSK) urged the Kazakh foreign ministry to declare Vrublevsky persona non grata because of the statements he made calling for the murder of Russians.

"Such statements are incompatible with the ambassador's status and diplomatic ethics. Such a demarche encroaches on the peace and harmony in our country, where over 120 ethnic groups, including Russians and Ukrainians, live in peace and friendship. In this regard, the ARSK is demanding that the Kazakh Foreign Ministry declare Ukrainian Ambassador Vrublevsky persona non grata," a statement published by ARSK head Volodymyr Bozhko on social networks read.

The association also asked the Kazakh prosecutor's office to verify the fact of the distribution of Vrublevsky's statement on social media and bring to justice all those involved in the production and publication of the video.

A video, published on social media earlier in August, features a man, who is believed to be the Ukrainian ambassador to Kazakhstan, saying that Kiev is trying to kill as many Russians as possible.

On February 24, Russia began the military operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The West responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Moscow while also ramping up its military support for Kiev. Moreover, Western governments and media launched a disinformation campaign regarding the hostilities in Ukraine and started disseminating Russophobic sentiments in the society, Moscow warned.