The President of Kazakhstan participated in the 78th UN General Assembly debates and the summit of the heads of Central Asian states and the United States in New York City. Kazakh political analyst Dosym Satpaev explained the reasons for the U.S.'s interest in cooperation with Kazakhstan to the Kazinform news agency.
According to the political analyst, the meeting of the five heads of Central Asian states with U.S. President Joe Biden generated the greatest interest during the visit. This is significant because such a meeting had never occurred before, considering that this format has existed since 2015.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken visited Kazakhstan earlier this year, and a summit was held at the level of foreign ministers of Central Asian countries. This platform has existed for several years, but for the first time, a meeting is taking place at such a high level. This is primarily due to the geopolitical changes that have occurred since February of the previous year. Before that, since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Washington's interest in the region had waned but has now increased again for several reasons, according to Dosym Satpaev.
Firstly, Central Asia has become a more active arena for competition among various geopolitical players.
Given that Russia is under significant sanctions, it has shifted its priorities toward the East and Asia. In Central Asia, Russia is also trying to strengthen its positions concerning attempts to circumvent sanctions. Central Asian countries have found themselves in a complex situation, as some of them serve as bridges that Russia uses for gray imports and to bypass sanctions, the analyst believes.
Another reason for U.S. interest in Central Asia, the expert noted, is the interaction with Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has once again attracted attention following the Taliban's return to power. There is a severe humanitarian crisis in the country, with 20 million people facing hunger. Therefore, Central Asian countries are important to the U.S. and the European Union as intermediaries and sources of interaction with the Taliban. It is no secret that Kazakhstan supplies food products, grain, and flour to Afghanistan, which is a significant market for the country.
In August 2023, a Kazakhstan-Afghanistan business forum took place. It is clear that the West cannot completely cease interaction with Afghanistan because they need to provide some assistance to the population to reduce the risk of migration to Europe. Therefore, Central Asia is currently an important intermediary and player in this Afghan direction, Satpaev explained.
The third direction that the political analyst highlights is related to the growing confrontation between China and the West.
Given Russia's military and economic weakening, China, with its active policies, is striving to strengthen its positions in the region. This has raised concerns for the U.S. and the European Union.
Additionally, Dosym Satpaev emphasizes another important area of cooperation: the extraction of rare earth metals.
These metals, which are called critical materials, will become more important in the coming years compared to oil and gas. Considering that China now controls almost 90% of the world market, the extraction of rare earth metals is crucial for the production of electric vehicles, semiconductors, and advanced technologies. There is significant competition for these metals worldwide. Therefore, Central Asia has become an interesting partner for their extraction, the expert concluded.
On photo: expert Dosym Satpaev
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
September 20, 2023