Astana, Kazakhstan – A recent global European study confirmed the importance of the position of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the regional and global political map, especially in the Central Asian region, and described its transformation from Europe’s point of view as a transformation from a weak international entity to a new geopolitical status.
The study, titled “Middle Powers – Important Actors in International Politics,” and published by the famous German foreign policy institute Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik about Kazakhstan’s inclusion for the first time in international politics in the list of global “middle powers,” said: “The European analysis of the “issue Kazakhstan is very interesting, as it contributes to a better understanding of the potential and development prospects of the largest country in Central Asia.
The study announced by Andrei Vipolzov added: “Kazakhstan occupies a special place in Central Asia, for many reasons, the most important of which is firstly, with regard to geographical scope and location. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in terms of area on the Eurasian continent, and is bordered to the west and north by Russia by more than 7,500 kilometers, and the length of the border with China is about 1,800 kilometers, as it enjoys strategic importance for both regional powers as a supplier of raw materials, a sales market and transportation corridor, and as a political ally.
Pointing to Germany’s interest in Kazakhstan, which still constitutes the main economic locomotive of the European Union, the study added: “The time has passed in Europe when this continent maintained a strategic distance with respect to many countries.”
She explained: “German analysts pay a lot of attention to Kazakh-Russian relations, and according to the Berlin Institute, the deep interconnectedness between Astana and Moscow is evident in the energy and export infrastructure, as well as close personal relations between the political elite in both countries and the continuing importance of the Russian language as an official language alongside the Kazakh language.” “.
She said: “It is clear that the European Union began to show trade and economic interest in Kazakhstan after well-known events on the world stage,” as Tokayev succinctly put it, when “the current geopolitical turmoil is undermining the entire global security architecture.”
The study emphasized: “In this context, the decision of German economists to include Kazakhstan in the register of the middle powers does not constitute a kind of political flattery for Astana, and this is a statement of truth. Therefore, the content of the report is rather an analytical assistance to serious European companies, which expect to enter the territory of the Central Asian country and, as they say, not make any mistakes.”
She noted that to confirm this, at the end of the study, advice is given from the experts of the Science and Policy Foundation, in fact, the authors urge the Europeans to “draw the right conclusions” about the fact that Russia and China are “traditional allies” of Kazakhstan, and in the growing and dynamically developing space of Eurasia, which It attaches great importance to Kazakhstan, shaping its foreign relations, going beyond the formation of political camps, and achieving equal partnership.”
All this “suggests on the part of the Europeans an attitude that combines pragmatism and principles, formulating clear expectations for joint projects,” the study’s authors conclude. Thus, the recognition of Kazakhstan as a “middle power” is primarily aimed at opening the door to foreign investment in the country, and already today. , the country has become a leader among the post-Soviet republics in attracting foreign direct investment.
Net foreign direct investment flows into Kazakhstan reached a record $6.1 billion in 2022, an 83% increase from 2021, according to analysts at the Geneva-based United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
The study referred to the speech of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev a few days ago at a meeting of the new government, about the weaknesses in the capital increase process, which are represented by excessive bureaucratic enthusiasm for business trips abroad at the expense of searching for capital investments, and “bureaucratic manipulation” in front of investors. potential within the country, the lack of an effective system to monitor the implementation of such projects, and, of course, we should not forget the return of assets worth millions of dollars illegally withdrawn by the so-called “family”.
