On the 16th, Kazakhstan celebrated another anniversary of its independence and the past three months have been one of great international activities for President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with meetings with leaders such as the American Joe Biden or the Chinese Xi Jinping, but also with the De Portuguese Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the latest case on September 20 in New York, on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. These high-level meetings with various statesmen are confirmation that the Kazakhs continue to invest heavily in the multi-vector diplomacy that dates back to the time of the first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and which aims to ensure that the country does not allow itself to be limited by the limits of geography, which placed it between the giants Russia and China
This tradition of multi-vector diplomacy has been especially tested since February 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presented Kazakhstan with a series of challenges. On the one hand, there is the issue of internal sensitivities, as there are numerous Russian and Ukrainian communities in the country. On the other hand, there is the need not to antagonize Russia, but also not to isolate itself from an international community that imposes sanctions in retaliation for aggression. In the UN votes, Kazakhstan abstained from votes condemning Moscow, but at the same time supports Kiev in defending its territorial integrity and cooperates with the United States and other Western countries so as not to be seen by Russia as a subterfuge to sanctions to circumvent. a permanent test of the capabilities of the government of this country, which is the ninth largest in the world, but with only 20 million inhabitants, the majority of whom are ethnic Kazakhs, but with more than a hundred communities, including from Uzbeks to Koreans.
In favor of Kazakhstan, its oil wealth and growing economic dynamism, the reformist will of society and a tolerant Islam that promotes national coexistence with Christian minorities and builds bridges with the outside world, as was evident during Pope Francis’ visit last September. The process of political reforms that started after the violent riots of January 2022 has also attracted the world’s attention, with Kazakhstan seeking to distinguish itself as the most active and assertive country among the countries in strategically vital Central Asia (the Tokayev meeting with Biden on September 19, 2022). It also took place outside the UN as part of an unprecedented summit between the United States and five former Soviet republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan).
It is in this context of the search for a prominent place in the international community and the search for prestige, which has lasted since the declaration of independence on December 16, 1991, that the Decree on the Promotion of Human Rights, signed by Tokayev on December 8, must are understood. rights and the rule of law. As Kazakh authorities explained in a statement, “the measure was taken ahead of the International Day of Human Rights, on December 10, and the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This foundational document underlines Kazakhstan’s commitment to meeting its international obligations. obligations, strengthening human rights institutions and promoting the development of a national system for the protection of human rights and democracy”. They added: “The decree and action plan represent a new era in Kazakhstan’s commitment to democratic reforms and human rights. They ensure the effective functioning of democratic institutions and human rights mechanisms in the country. A notable element of this initiative is the mandatory cooperation with leading international organizations, such as the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in implementing the measures set out in the plan.”
This commitment to involve major international organizations in promoting the country’s democratization is a signal to the world (and to its powerful neighbors) that Kazakhstan has learned the lessons of the recent past and sees the project of democratic reforms as the path towards national strengthening. However, the fact that several international democracy indices (such as the Economist) recognize only minor improvements and maintain a critical assessment means that the country must continue with reforms and demonstrate more results, even if Tokayev, for example, sets the example by to include reforms. the constitution placed a limit on the number of presidential terms, while the predecessor ruled for 29 years.
Especially for Tokayev, a career diplomat who succeeded Nazarbayev in 2019, there is a desire to leave a personal legacy for the future. Today, Kazakhstan ranks 56th on the UN Human Development Index, joining the group of very highly developed countries. Of the fifteen former Soviet republics, only the three Baltic countries and Russia lead the way, and in the latter case this may no longer be the case. This would be the case if statistics reflected the impact of the current war.
This question of presidential legacy has taken on somewhat new relevance with the memoirs now released by Nazarbayev, the father of independence who at one point allowed his closest clans to become too involved in the interests of the state. Tokayev has distanced himself from his predecessor, but always in a constructive way: a good example is his loyalty to the traditional fight against the proliferation of nuclear arsenals (Kazakhstan, on the Semipalatinsk polygon, was the Soviet testing ground, with more than 450 explosions (as the Astana Times has just recalled), but, given the economic problems and the wealth of uranium, allow the construction of a nuclear power plant for civilian purposes if the population decides to do so in a referendum.
A recent analysis article in Foreign Policy was entitled “Kazakhstan’s leader turns neutrality into an art,” which praised Tokayev’s ability to maintain good relations with Vladimir Putin (if only to avoid territorial disputes), with Xi Jinping (the Silk Road project was announced ten years ago). in Astana), with Joe Biden (the United States is interested in promoting Kazakhstan as a key figure in the heart of Eurasia) and with the European Union (as a whole the most important trading partner. In June, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said visited Astana and in November French President Emanuwl Macrin also visited Astana).
We will see how this ‘art of neutrality’ continues to contribute to the socio-political development of what is the largest landlocked country in the world, a country whose past is linked to steppe nomadism, which emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century suffered greatly from forced sedentarization. the Soviet era, but whose future will clearly be as a constructive partner of the international community, which can count on a civil society that values stability and prosperity, but also strives for greater political rights and in that sense continues to put pressure on the political class.
Source: DN
