Kazakhstan, that had gained its independence after the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on December 1991, grabs attention of the global powers as a country with its rich underground resources and size which is the biggest in the Central Asia. Kazakhstan has grew 17 fold in 30 years by managing the great economic crisis after the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan, whose gross domestic product was 11.4 billion dollars in the period after its independence, increased it to 190 billion dollars in 2021 and reached an important position in Central Asian geopolitics. The country’s dolar reserve is indicated as 90.9 billion. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that direct investments worth 370 billion dollars have been made in Kazakhstan. On the other hand, it is possible to say that Kazakhstan is also located on an important route that is connecting Europe and Asia. In other words, the fact that there are 11 international transit corridors operating in Kazakhstan shows that the country has become an important transportation route. Kazakhstan has 30 billion barrels of oil reserves and this is the 12th largest in the world. Its natural gas reserves are 3 trillion cubic meters. Kazakhstan ranks 16th in terms of natural gas reserves in the world. In addition, Kazakhstan is known as the largest oil producer in the Central Asian basin. Besides the aforementioned energy wealth, in can be said that Kazakhstan also has a significant share in uranium production worldwide.
Foreign Policy Openings
In addition to directing its potential power in the fields of economy and energy, Kazakhstan also pursues sound strategies in foreign policy. By looking at the country’s regional and global policies, it is possible to say that it has determined a multi-tracked and active foreign policy. Kazakhstan’s geographical location requires it to dconduct very delicate lines in determining its foreign policy and bilateral relations with its neighbors. This is because, considering its geopolitical location, with Russia to its north and China to its east, prioritizing the politics of balance with the two global powers becomes essential. Since its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has faced many political, economic and social problems internaly. The country has had to deal with such problems while maintaining its geo-strategic importance, its relations with global powers and its foreign policy. Moreover, as a result of its geopolitical position, it is an important country to maintain a balance in the crises between Moscow-Beijing, Moscow-West and Beijing-West and in the power rivalries in the Central Asian region. Due to the power rivalries of global actors in Central Asia, it is unable to make its possible moves in its foreign policy in order to protect its strategic interests as it plans. It can be said that this policy is conjuncturally rational.
Moscow-Beijing-Washington Line
Kazakhstan’s balance policy, especially among Moscow, Beijing and Washington and its strategy of active impartial foreign policy is a realist approach. This balance policy empowers its geopolitical position on regional and international arena. Within this framwoek, taking the focal points on the foreign policy into account, it should be indicated that it has made a good progress towards gaining momentum both in the Turkish world and in the world politics. It is also worth notice that Kazkhstan is the first country in Central Asia that precided over Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. On the other hand, its participation to the international platforms with high importance such as Astana Conference on Interaction and Confıdence Building Measures in Asia and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation strengthens its strategic location. Considering the aformentioned developments, Kazkhstan’s statements on rejecting to recognise Russia’s annextion of Abhazya and Southern Ostenia regions in Georgia on August 2008 and Crimea in 2014 are indicators of important changes.
The Tokayev Era
In this context, 28-years president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s resignation on March 2019 and takeover of the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev should be considered as a very important development for in the country’s history. Because Tokayev’s both domestic and foreign reform policies and steps determine a multi-track regional strategies. During his visit to Ankara on May 10, 2022, Tokayev signaled that his vision for Kazakhstan’s foreign policy is inclusive of cooperation with the Turkic world, especially with Turkey, and that he has set a road map to strengthen this cooperation and carry out active work.
Last July 25, President Tokayev travelled to Saudi Arabia and chaired Saudi Arabia-Kazkhstan Investment Forum held in Jeddah. In the Forum 13 memorandum of understanding has been signed between Astana and Riyadh in energy, sport, tourism, media, food, agriculture and finance. During Tokayev’s Saudi Arabia visit, his meeting with the President of the Group of Islamic Development Bank Dr. Mohammed Casser has an importance. On March 2022, the bank has approved approximately 1.6 billion dolars of financial support for Kazakhstan. The current government has major development programs until 2025, including the construction of a thousand schools, the repair of 11,000 kilometers of roads, the maintenance of 53 water treatment plants in 27 cities, and the establishment of university clinics in five cities. The fact that UAE-owned companies have 11 big investment projects in Kazakhstan that worth over $3.5 billion shows the importance of Astana-Gulf relations.
U.S.-Kazakhstan Relations
After making two visits to Washington after becoming the President, Tokayev stressed its willingness to maintain cooperation with US. On the other hand, Kazakhstan’s Temporary Trade Deal and Association and Cooperation Agreement with EU are ongoing. In this context, in the phone call with the President of EU Council Charles Michel on last July, Tokayev indicated that they are ready to make use of the hydrocarbon potential by saying “Kazakhstan can contribute in the role of a ‘buffer market’ between East and West, South and North”. In light of the aforementioned developments, on September 14th, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping made his first foreign visit to Kazakhstan after the pandemic. The bilateral agreements signed between the two countries shows how geo-strategic Beijing-Astana relations are. Xi Jinping’s visit is open to the interpretation that China’s interests in Central Asia are primarily focused on Kazakhstan.
A careful reading of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy reveals that Turkey’s strategic importance is increasing day by day. The trade volume between Turkey and Kazakhstan reached 5.3 billion dolars by an increase of 58% in 2021. Furthermore, Turkey is the fifth largest trade parter of Kazakhstan after Russia, China, Italy and South Korea. The trade volume between the two countries determined as 10 billion dollars. In this context, Turkey is the third country which increased its investemnts in Kazakhstan after Sweden and the U.S. According to official data, there are nearly three thousand companies operating with Turkish capital.
Along with the aforementioned developments, Kazakh President Tokayev, who made his first foreign visit to Turkey after the January events on May 10, 2022, seems to have taken concrete steps to improve bilateral relations. During his visit to Ankara, Tokayev addressed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “a wise and respected politician with a broad vision”, which demonstrated the solidarity between the two countries. In addition, during his visit to Ankara, Tokayev attended the 3rd meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council established between the two countries in 2012. Within the scope of Tokayev’s visit, 15 agreements were signed between Turkey and Kazakhstan in the fields of transportation, defense industry, military intelligence, information technologies, culture, agriculture, transport, trade, customs, environment, education, youth, communication and archives. On 12-13 October, during President Erdoğan’s visit to Astana in order to attend the sixth summit of Conference on Cooperation and Confidance Building Measures in Asia, the forth meeting of Council of High Level of Strategic Cooperation was held and he has signed “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Fields of Technical Regulations, Standardization, Metrology, Accreditation and Conformity Assessment”. In the last five years, 25 agreements have been digned between Turkey and Kazakhstan. To sum up, Kazakhstan’s entegration with the world and move away from Russian influence depends on increasing its strategic cooperations with Turkey.
