The indirect gesture of the President of Kazakhstan Gasim-Jomart Tokayev directed at the President of Russia Vladimir Putin caused a wide resonance on social media.

Axar.az reports that the incident happened during the visit of the Russian president to Kazakhstan.

During his speech, Putin claimed that Kazakhstan is an "almost completely Russian-speaking country". This statement was remembered by Tokayev's unexpected and decisive reaction.

Tokayev's "elegant answer" to the Russian language

Although Putin emphasized the Russian language in his speech, Tokayev gave his speech in Kazakh. This gesture of the Kazakh leader was a pleasant surprise for Russian supporters. The Russian representatives sitting in the hall were immediately forced to look for their headphones and use the means of translation. This was perceived as Tokayev's strong emphasis on the national identity of his country by preferring the Kazakh language.

National identity and diplomatic message

This gesture of Tokayev is considered as a deep political message against the background of Russia-Kazakhstan relations. The Kazakh leader's speech in his native language was interpreted as an indirect criticism of Putin's "Russian language prevails" approach, in addition to emphasizing the country's national identity and sovereignty.

Despite the widespread use of the Russian language in Kazakhstan, Tokayev's move is consistent with efforts to strengthen the position of the state language in the country - the Kazakh language.

Diplomatic signal for Russia

According to analysts, Tokayev's action is not limited to addressing the language issue. This demonstrates that Kazakhstan maintains its independent position vis-a-vis Russia and will not submit to any foreign influence.

This step of Tokayev once again confirms the intentions of Kazakhstan's leadership, which wants to pursue a balanced policy in relations with Russia. This step taken against the background of Kazakhstan's national interests is a sign that the country is exhibiting a more independent and self-confident position on the international scale.

Reactions on social media

The images of the incident were widely published on social media and caused various comments. One user wrote:

"Tokayev demonstrated the national will of Kazakhstan in front of Putin. That's really leadership!”

Another user evaluated Tokayev's gesture as follows: "A diplomatic blow!"

This event opens a new page for Tokayev's independent policy against the background of Kazakhstan-Russia relations.