By Tamara Vaal ASTANA (Reuters) -Kazakhstan will prioritise national interests over those of the OPEC+ group when deciding on oil production levels, the country's newly appointed energy minister told Reuters,

Kazakhstan’s newly appointed Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov, in comments made to Reuters on April 24, signalled that Kazakhstan may not adhere to the OPEC+ group’s agreed output restrictions, as the country is set on prioritising its own national interests over those of OPEC+ when deciding on oil output levels.

Kazakhstan has sparked fresh tensions within OPEC+ by asserting that its oil production strategy will be governed by national interests rather than group quotas