TYUMEN, September 16. /TASS/. Kazakh authorities have no objective to squeeze foreign companies out of oil and gas projects, the republic’s Deputy Energy Minister Kaiyrkhan Tutkyshbayev said, adding that the country will welcome any decision by Russia’s Lukoil regarding its projects there.
He described Lukoil as Kazakhstan’s historic partner. "We hold this company in high esteem, and all issues are open for discussion within the framework of our allied relations. We have no intention of pushing anyone out, so we will welcome whatever decision the company’s management takes," he told reporters on the sidelines of the TNF-2026 forum.
Lukoil, which started operations in Kazakhstan in 1995, was hit by US sanctions in 2025. Company representatives announced that it was negotiating the sale of its foreign assets with several potential buyers. Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said earlier that Astana held a priority right to purchase the assets, and that the US had been notified of this.
