On the Issue of Kazakhstan’s Policy Towards Afghanistan

Abstract

The Afghan direction has always played an important role in the foreign strategy of independent Kazakhstan, which is due to the overall regional security. Instability in Afghanistan, the associated risks for the Central Asian countries, historically determined the policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From the very beginning, the Kazakh authorities sought to actively participate in stabilizing and strengthening peace in Afghanistan, including providing direct humanitarian and economic assistance to Kabul. This created conditions for the development of cooperation at the interstate level, which led to the gradual expansion of trade relations. Now Afghanistan is considered as one of the important markets for Kazakh producers. It should be emphasized that Kazakhstan has always been guided by political pragmatism. This manifested itself after the events of 2021, which led to the formation of a new Afghan government by representatives of the Taliban* movement. Despite the non-recognition of the new Afghan authorities in accordance with international requirements, Astana continued its dialogue with Kabul on the most important topics, especially those related to supporting the Afghan population in order to prevent a sharp deterioration in the situation in the country. This is in the interests not only of Afghanistan itself, but also of regional and international forces.