Afghanistan–Kazakhstan relations

Bilateral relations
Afghanistan –Kazakhstan relations
Map indicating locations of Afghanistan and Kazakhstan

Afghanistan
Kazakhstan

Relations between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan began in 1992.

History

Kazakhs faced persecution at the hands of the Stalinist regime in the 1930s, and many of those who fled the USSR emigrated to Afghanistan. Thousands of Kazakhs continued to reside in Afghanistan until that country's warfare period began.[1]

Official bilateral relations began on February 12, 1992. Afghanistan opened an embassy in Almaty in 1993, while Kazakhstan opened one in Kabul in 2003.[2]

During the civil war in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan hosted an emergency meeting with its Central Asian neighbors and Russia in 1996. The talks became the basis for a UN resolution.[3]

In May 2011, Kazakhstan voted to send troops to Afghanistan as part of NATO's ISAF mission (although Kazakhstan is not part of NATO). It became the first ex-Soviet Central Asian state to join ISAF.[4]

Trade turnover between the two countries amounted to 336.7 million USD in 2014.[5]

As of 2017, Kazakhstan has provided $20 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.[6]

In August 2021, after the Taliban insurgents took Kabul and drove away the government, the Kazakh foreign ministry said that it does not recognize the Taliban regime as the legal Afghan government.[7] Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said his country will bolster its defenses from any potential spillover threats from Afghanistan.[8] The UN mission to Afghanistan moved its base to Kazakhstan in September.[9]

Astana held a Kazakh-Afghan business-forum on 3 August 2023, which, despite not formally recognizing Taliban's government, had The Minister of Commerce and Industry of Afghanistan Nooruddin Azizi as one of its guests.

Despite not formally recognizing its government and listing the Taliban as a terrorist organization, an Afghan–Kazakh business-forum was held in Astana on 3 August of 2023. The forum included 200 Afghan delegates' visit and concluded with signing of contracts for almost $200 million.[10] The forum included Nooruddin Azizi as one of its guests[11] and was criticized by an unregistered oppositional party «Alğa Qazaqstan».[10] The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Aibek Smadiarov, revealed on the 29 December of the same year that the Taliban was removed from the list of organizations prohibitied in Kazakhstan. The reasoning, as stated in his interview to «Kazinform», was that the decision was done according to a United Nations resolution, which indeed does not recognize Taliban as terrorist.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Сондықтан М. Тәтімовтың мәліметінде көрсетілгендей, біздегі жаппай ұжымдастыру науқанының қарсаңында Монғолия мен Қытайда шамамен 375 000-дай ғана қазақ қалған еді". Melimde.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Қазақстан Республикасы мен Ауғанстан Ислам Республикасы - Поздравления на казахском языке". Dk.kz. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Ауғанстан Ислам Республикасының Президенті Мохаммад Ғанидің Қазақстанға ресми сапары аясында кеңейтілген құрамдағы келіссөздер өтті — Қазақстан Республикасы Президентінің ресми сайты". Akorda.kz. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Taliban warns Muslim Kazakhstan on entering Afghan war". Reuters.com. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Development of kazakhstani relations with Afghanistan at the present stage". Articlekz.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Қазақстан жаңалықтары бүгін: inbusiness.kz сайтында соңғы ақпарат". Inbusiness.kz. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Foreign Ministry: Kazakhstan did not recognize Taliban | Kazakhstan Today". Kt.kz. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ^ Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. "Central Asia's biggest state Kazakhstan to bolster defence capabilities amid Afghan crisis". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  9. ^ "UN Mission to Afghanistan Relocates to Kazakhstan". Thediplomat.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b TOYKEN, Sania (9 August 2023). "Активисты критикуют Астану за соглашения с подконтрольным талибам Афганистаном". Radio Free Europe (in Russian). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  11. ^ "В Астану прибыла делегация талибов". Forbes (in Russian). 2 August 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Астана намерена вычеркнуть «Талибан» из списка запрещённых в Казахстане организаций" (in Russian). Radio Free Europe. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2024.