As world crisis deepens, Kazakhstan needs bolder foreign policy — experts

10.10.2023, 20:41 exclusive.kz

Observers say Kazakhstan needs to redefine its national interests and pursue a bolder foreign policy amid the ongoing crisis of international relations.

In conversation with Exclusive.kz editor Karlygash Yezhenova, historian Rustem Kurmanguzhin and political observer Andrei Chebotarev touched on prospects of Eurasian integration, the importance of keeping Central Asia free of nuclear weapons, and a possible Kazakh-Uzbek alliance.

Kurmanguzhin said that the world today was in the middle of “a cyclical crisis”, and with Kazakhstan’s main partners, the West, Russia and China being “in a state of harsh confrontation”, “we have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow”.

This called for a review of Kazakhstan’s foreign relations, he said.

Asked if Kazakhstan should stick to Eurasian integration or look for new integration formats, Kurmanguzhin said that for the Eurasian project to work a market with at least 500m people should be created.

“If we create a market of that size, the integration model will work, if not it is going to falter,” he said, adding that it could be achieved by inviting Turkey and Iran.

“If the world continues to fracture, moving towards the creation of large economic zones, Eurasia could become one such zone,” Kurmanguzhin added.

“The idea is worth exploring and promoting. We should develop all our future projects – regional and subregional — bearing this idea in mind. There is no other way.”

Talking about international military escalation, including the increased nuclear threat, Kurmanguzhin said that it was important to make sure that Central Asia remained a nuclear-free zone — “to get guarantees that nobody will ever bring any nuclear [weapons] technologies here”.

Asked about ways to strengthen Kazakhstan as an independent subject of international relations, “not a pawn in someone’s chess game”, political observer Andrei Chebotarev said that the country had to clearly define its national interests.

“Our national security strategy is classified, that is understandable. But we also have a foreign policy concept, and we need to set out our national interests there, so we can have a clear idea about our interests and can act accordingly,” he said.

Chebotarev said that, by using its potential as a transit corridor, Kazakhstan should be bolder in positioning itself as “a regional power”.

He also suggested that Kazakhstan should be moving towards closer integration with Uzbekistan.

“In tandem [with Uzbekistan] we could position ourselves as two Central Asian leaders, two capitals with which [outside players] can discuss transportation, transit and other issues,” he said.