In a powerful symbol of Central Asia’s search for alternative partners in the West, Turkey and Asia, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday, to discuss deepening economic, energy and educational ties.Tokayev’s trip followed Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s meetings with Macron in Paris last week, as well as an unusually bitter meeting of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which ended with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressing anger over a lack of support in his country’s continuing military conflict with Azerbaijan.He had a far more powerful guest in September when Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit outside China since the pandemic to meet Tokayev in Astana, where he pointedly promised to support Kazakh territorial integrity.“It was very important for Kazakhstan that Xi Jinping came and announced that China will continue to support Kazakhstan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Umarov said, adding that it sent a message to Russia “that all the hawkish rhetoric coming out of Moscow right now, also toward Kazakhstan, is not acceptable.” Tokayev ordered Kazakhstan to diversify its oil routes, froze a number of projects with Russia due to sanctions, and opened the gates to young Russian men fleeing Putin’s mobilization drive.Japarov, who was furious about skirmishes in September when Tajik forces pushed into Kyrgyz territory, also canceled CSTO military exercises."