Kazakhstan’s contributions to addressing global challenges and its emerging role as a growing middle power were in the focus of discussions at the 17th annual World Policy Conference (WPC), organized by the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) in Abu Dhabi on December 13-15, DKnews.kz reports.
Thierry de Montbrial, founder and long-standing president of IFRI – one of Europe’s leading think tanks – moderated a conference session titled “Multivector Foreign Policies?”. He highlighted Kazakhstan’s diplomatic course as a model for multivector diplomacy, which has earned the country recognition as a responsible partner in the international community. According to the distinguished French scholar, Kazakhstan has not only refined its approach to foreign policy but is also increasingly active in addressing global challenges as a middle power.
De Montbrial noted that this raises pertinent questions: What are the foundations of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy? How does it manage to maintain positive relations with various geopolitical power centers in an era of heightened tensions? And what can the country achieve in its newly acquired status, particularly, in conflict resolution efforts?
During the subsequent discussion, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roman Vassilenko used the metaphor of the traditional Kazakh round felt house, the yurt, to explain the country’s balanced and pragmatic foreign policy:
“In the traditional Kazakh home, there are no corners,” he said. “Therefore, the need to take sides or choose a corner, as one might in a boxing ring, runs contrary to our national mentality.”.
He further emphasized that “Kazakhstan rejects dividing nations into blocs. We believe that if states must indeed take a side, it should be the side of cooperation rather than rivalry, engagement rather than isolation, the rule of law rather than lawlessness, mutual benefit and the concept of a win-win outcome, rather than mutual exclusion and zero-sum games. Thanks to this approach, Kazakhstan has built mutually respectful and beneficial relationships with all its partners and enjoys amicable relations with all countries,” he added.
Addressing what middle powers can do amid a crisis in the international security system, the Deputy Minister underscored Astana’s commitment to strengthening the United Nations as the sole global organization tasked with addressing issues of global development and security.
“To this end, as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has noted, the long-overdue reform of the UN Security Council must become a priority. For many years, the Security Council has been deadlocked on critical issues of war and peace. Kazakhstan believes the Security Council must become more representative and ensure fairer representation, reflecting today’s realities.”
According to Roman Vassilenko, “what we can do as a middle power – and we take this designation very seriously – is to collaborate with like-minded nations, in a network of such countries in searching for collective solutions and in persuading global superpowers to prioritize the interests of humanity as a whole and urgently address critical global issues, such as climate change, inequality, poverty, etc.”.
Responding to the moderator’s question on Kazakhstan’s stance toward the conflict in Ukraine, Vassilenko reiterated that “President Tokayev has consistently emphasized that the resolution of this problem can only be achieved through diplomacy. We advocate for the swift cessation of the conflict and the resolution of differences at the negotiating table. Kazakhstan is ready to fully support efforts in this direction.”.
The panel discussion also featured Serbia’s Speaker of Parliament Ana Brnabić and Georgia’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lasha Darsalia, who shared their countries’ approaches to the topic.
The conference explored issues of global geopolitics and economics, bringing together politicians, diplomats, experts, business leaders, and journalists from Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Representatives of international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development also participated.
