Kazakhstan in its 30s: recalling the uniqueness of Nursultan Nazarbayev

Paulo Afonso B. Duarte[1]

Kazakstan’s singularity since its independence is due to a large extent to the talented and diplomatic stance of its first President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In fact, Nazarbaev’s moderate and intelligent approach in dealing with domestic, regional and extra-regional challenges, has enabled the country to achieve regional leadership together with broad international acknowledgement. Nazarbayev was particularly wise in opening up its landlocked and relatively young country to foreign investment from regional and extra-regional powers whose interests and views have been sometimes significant. In so doing, Nazarbayev endeavoured to ensure that the benefits stemming from Kazakhstan geostrategic position between East and West, as well as from its abundant natural resources, were harmoniously spread to its population.

The prosperity of Kazakhstan, as reflected in its outstanding business environment and soft power, is the visible outcome of Nazarbaeyev’s multi-skilled diplomacy. More than a politician or a diplomat, Nazarbayev was actually a visionary, with remarkable social and economic long-term goals for his country. And his deeds and views have been, in turn, warmly embraced by the Kazakh population over the years. As a matter of fact, Nursultan Nazarbayev’s formula of peace and harmony has successfully materialized into the fulfilment of an interethnic and multicultural society based on an interfaith harmony in Kazakhstan. What is more, the country’s unique institution – the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan – which elects nine deputies of the Parliament, is just another example of a concrete step taken towards stability, modernization and progress.

Nazarbayev’s low-profile and peaceful Foreign Policy has grasped the esteem and respect of world leading nations, thereby explaining that relations with US, China and Russia have remained extraordinarily positive so far. Without undermining its longstanding and traditional relations with Moscow, Nazarbayev has nevertheless attempted to pursue a multivectorial stance in foreign affairs. The latter has enabled Kazakhstan to manage the difficult diplomatic balance of being at the same time part of Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union (of which Nazarbayev is one of the founding fathers), US New Silk Road and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. As a sign of the economic relevance of Kazakhstan for China (including in terms of energy security), Xi Jinping chose Astana to launch the then One Belt One Road in September 2013. Far from being a minor aspect, such official step is an implicit acknowledgement that Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s most important country for China, which in addition shares Uighur ethnic ties with the Xinjiang.

2021 is a symbolic date which marks not only 30 years of Kazakhstan independence and at the same time, inherently, of Nazarbayev’s leadership after the collapse of the Soviet Union. These three decades have been characterized by an extraordinary capacity of adaptation by Nazarbayev, who proved to understand the dynamics on which the new global order is based. This is view is shared by Grigory Karasin, former State Secretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who admits that “[Nazarbayev] is one of the few politicians with a vision of political processes not only in Kazakhstan and Eurasia, but also those happening on a global scale”.[2] The year of 2021 also marks “the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semei Nuclear Test Site[3], the fruit of Nazarbayev’s longstanding and resilient anti-nuclear initiatives. In conclusion, 2021 seems to be the year of several and promising opportunities for a relatively young country to continue to flourish, under the principles of continuity, peace and harmony which President Tokayev has commited himself to honour.

 

[1] Assistant Professor at Universidade Lusófona do Porto and Invited Assistant Professor at Minho University, Portugal. pauloduarte@eeg.uminho.pt

[2] The Astana Times. 2020. “Nazarbayev’s Legacy: Forging a Path For an Independent Kazakhstan as a Leader in Central Asia”. 4 July. https://astanatimes.com/2020/07/nazarbayevs-legacy-forging-a-path-for-an-independent-kazakhstan-as-a-leader-in-central-asia/

[3] The Astana Times. 2021. “Kazakhstan’s Way to Nuclear Disarmament”. 23 April. https://astanatimes.com/2021/04/kazakhstans-way-to-nuclear-disarmament/