Speaking before an assembly of local governors and councils on March 12, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged regional administrations not to rely on subsidies from the central budget.Tokayev pointed to the need to “stop squandering huge amounts of money on useless initiatives.” Tokayev also said that the government is considering transferring a portion of revenues from environmental fines and property taxes to local budgets in an effort to provide regions with “more resources”. More broadly, Tokayev used the assembly to speak about the current geopolitical situation while reaffirming Kazakhstan’s traditionally balanced diplomatic stance.