Among the officials on a diplomatic blitz in Europe were Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi and his deputy, Roman Vassilenko; Suleimenov and his deputy, Erzhan Kazykhan; Kazakhstan’s Commissioner for Human Rights Elvira Azimova, and other top officials. Suleimenov did a number of high-profile interviews, clarifying Kazakhstan’s position on the war in Ukraine.
Toward the end of the Euractiv interview, Suleimenov emphasized the unique position of Kazakhstan, which he called the “most westernised country in Central Asia.” He noted that 300,000 square kilometers of Kazakhstan is actually in Europe, more territory than some European nations. The interviewer, Georgi Gotev, replied with: “Come to replace Russia in the Council of Europe!” to which Suleimenov reportedly laughed and then said:
" We need to discuss that. We share a lot, we are right between Asian and Western civilisation, and we share pieces and features of both. The reforms that the president has put forward are pro-European, pro-democratic, and hopefully, in three to five years, you will find much more resemblance between us and countries like the Netherlands, France, Poland or other countries of the EU rather than authoritarian Asia.