By: Syeda Manal Tirmizi, Research Associate, Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future (PRCCSF), Islamabad:
Introduction: Kazakhstan and Pakistan relations refer to the bilateral relations which exist between the republic of Kazakhstan and the Islamic republic of Pakistan. Pakistan was one of the pioneer nations to make a move and recognize the Kazakhstan that attained independence on the late December 1991. Among the countries, the two had established diplomatic relations in 1992 when Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Pakistan. Both the countries share friendly relations due to their common evaluation of global matters, an outlook of events and peaceful relations between their people.
Despite progressing political territorial competitions, like financial competitions hurdles barriers, and social chaos the fellowship between Pakistan and Kazakhstan has been modeled since the foundation of formal political ties. Both nations have been savoring respective relations based on shared regard, participation, and financial integration.
Pakistan and Kazakhstan Territorial network and diplomatic ties: There’s a worldview move in Central Asia to advance and improve territorial network through more notable territorial participation and socio-economic due integration to which there’s a pressing requirement that both the nations must “analyze” conceivable measures to advance and reinforce two-sided relations by taking full advantage of their superior political understanding to upgrade participation. Anticipated “peace bargain” in Afghanistan may be a “diversion changer” for the rest of the locale and may open an “unused door” of “boundless openings” of common coordination, and collaboration in different areas between the two nations.
Pakistan was among the first few countries which recognize Kazakhstan when it attained independence in December 1991. Subsequently, diplomatic relations/ties between the two countries were established in 1992. Pakistan took the initiative and the first Prime Ministerial visit took place in 1995 followed by the second Prime Ministerial visit in 2011. The President of Pakistan visited Kazakhstan in 2011. Moreover, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif also visited Kazakhstan in 2015. Former Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev visited Pakistan twice in 1992 and 2003. Several Parliamentary and Ministerial as well as high-level officials also exchanged visits.
The first visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif to Kazakhstan has got a high appreciation form experts as it resulted up to vigorous fruitful and productive meetings with President Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev and the Prime Minister Karim Massimov. Both the country’s leaders spoke in the terms of boosting partnership in the areas of the trade and investment and emphasized on the long-term economic cooperation. Energy as a key point of the cooperation between the two states has been mentioned in the joint statement issued later. It will include oil and gas, civil nuclear and renewable energy.
The two parties reported that the 8th session of Inter-governmental Kazakhstan-Pakistan Commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical and cultural cooperation would be held in the capital of Astana on October 29-30, 2015. In addition, such leadership model foregrounded the need to the establishment of a Joint Business Council and intensify joint efforts in the defence sector. With the huge mobility and transport potential that both sides feature, the two parties will seek to advance their cooperation in transport and communication. Considering that the main conduit that may be exploited could be the joint railway networks from Turkmenistan-Iran-Kazakhstan and Pakistan-Iran-Turkey in both directions.
The proposed project is bound to fit in with the country’s Nurly Zhol’ policy, as well as the CPEC project. However, it should be noted that both sides were in line with importance of person to person contact and expressed their intention to not only replace all face-to-face encounters, but also, to intensify their engaging in the fields of education, science, culture, art, tourism and sports via the exchange and cooperation between organizations, artists, research centers, educational institutions and mass media.
Pakistan and Kazakhstan Political Relations: The scope of political relations between the two nations are broadened due to which right from the start both nations have been sharing way better political understandings incorporating different official visits of their shared authority and participation inside the different universal associations i.e. the Joined together Countries (UN), the Organization of Islamic Participation (OIC), Financial Participation Organization (ECO), Shanghai Participation Organization (SCO) and Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). In addition, Pakistan gives normal connections through the Eurasian locale with the Middle Eastern Ocean and South Asia.
Pakistan too offers basic arrival courses and networks for commonly advantageous exchange and territorial vitality participation. While Kazakhstan is a necessary portion of Central Asia Locale (CAR) associated with antiquated joins with South Asia. Pakistan connects extraordinary significance to building upgraded relations with the Central Asian Republic, Kazakhstan.
Being a conspicuous territorial master of Kazakhstan & CIS expanded arrival courses and coordinated exchange agreements/mechanisms both nations can investigate boundless untapped potential that would be commonly advantageous within the days to come.
Since Kazakhstan is the greatest landlocked nation in the world having coordinate street, rail, or ocean, and joins with Pakistan it is unequivocally prescribed that both nations should focus on a few “inventive plans” for their level of network within the future. Solid political commitments and consideration of private segments may be valuable to realize the specified goals of socio-economic and integration more prominent interface regional connectivity.
The need to coordinate geological communications genuinely obstructs reciprocal financial and exchange participation and coordination. But through genuine initiatives, the volumes of bilateral trade may be expanded.
Pakistan and Kazakhstan Territorial Integration: In this association, Pakistan is additionally interested in reinforcing reciprocal relations with Kazakhstan through the improvement of the China-Pakistan Economic Hallway (CPEC) and other different network ventures which would guarantee territorial improvement and thriving. Pakistani ports offer the most limited arrival course to Kazakhstan for getting to the Middle Eastern Ocean which can be commonly useful for both countries.
Both nations may expand their participation within the field of energy such as oil and gas, gracious atomic participation, and renewable vitality. The CGSS Pakistan proposes that the two sides ought to consider utilizing the potential joins between Islamabad and Astana through the association of railroads Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Pakistan-Iran-Turkey.
It would be exceptionally much in line with Kazakhstan’s Unused Financial Arrangement “Nurly Zhol’ and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) extension. Additionally, individuals to contact on customary trade between organizations, craftsmen, research centers, instructive teachers, and mass media may increase participation within the areas of education, investigation, science, culture, craftsmanship tourism, and sports.
Common Participation in Material, cotton items, pharmaceuticals, and nourishment things, designing gear and apparatus, development undertakings
It is unequivocally suggested that both countries must take initiatives to improve exchange and ventures in material and cotton items, pharmaceuticals, and food things, designing hardware and apparatus, and developing ventures. Pakistan and Kazakhstan marked three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for participation within the ranges of exchange and speculation, resistance and vital considerations, and preparing in foreign administrations which ought to be institutionalized as before long as conceivable.
Pakistan export to Kazakhstan to a great extent of valuable stones and gems, materials, chemical and pharmaceutical items, rural and nourishment, products, vegetables, shoes, calfskin things, don and therapeutic gear, development materials, etc. Pakistan imports from Kazakhstan development materials, nourishment, apparatus and gear, fertilizers, coal, press and nonferrous metals, seed oil .
Pakistan includes a tremendous buyer market and in arrange to take advantage of its unfathomability, Kazakhstan may send out to Pakistan vitality assets, power, mining, and rural items, in specific wheat and meat. Since we are living in an era of commercial discretion there’s a pressing require to improve exchange relationships through mindfulness among the commerce circles of both nations.
CGSS Arrangement of Diversified & Interconnected Arrangements Activities & Basic Steps: Being a prime Think Tank on Euro-Asia in Pakistan and locale as well, the CGSS Pakistan may also be valuable and compelling to create befitting approaches to gear up reciprocal exchange volumes in the days to come.
The CGSS Pakistan is prepared to arrange several workshops, conferences, round-tables by collaboration by all the partners and road shows to be held within the major cities of Pakistan and Kazakhstan with the point of increasing mindfulness of mindfulness neighborhood commerce circles almost commonly both the nations in terms of exchange and openings, as well potential traveler.
Pakistan and Kazakhstan Financial Integration: In regard, to the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), stock exchanges of Pakistan, and last but not least, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) should cooperate to diversify activities of a business, investment, venture joint, and financial integration in the days to come.
Kazakhstan Military Participation: Kazakhstan has appeared a keen interest in expanding its ties within the areas of military participation, generation, preparing, instruction, and its associated sectors. In this regard, the Kazakhstan Service of Protection and the Ministry of Guard and Aerospace Industry went to Karachi and went to the 10th IDEAS-2018. There are more than 38 representatives of the Equipped Forces of Kazakhstan as of now been trained since 2005 in military schools in Pakistan. Indeed (2019-2020) four Kazakhstan officers were trained at the International Centre for Peace and Soundness in Islamabad.
Kazakhstan is keen to take advantage of Pakistan’s vast expertise in combating terrorism. The first joint counter-terrorist exercises “Dostarym-2017”, were held in November 2017 at the National Anti-Terrorist Centre of Pakistan which further enhanced operational, strategic, and tactical military cooperation between both countries. The second counter-terrorism exercise “Dostarym-2019” was held in 2019. It is suggested that both countries examine systematically and pinpoint various untapped opportunities in the fields of military and defense cooperation and production in the days to come.
The Central Asia Territorial Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program is another vital strategic step of ten territorial nations which was made in 1997 to promote financial participation within the locale. The CAREC Hallway interfaces Pakistan to the Western markets of Europe and Russia, passing through Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. The correct utilization of all these gatherings may give a befitting suggestion to all the nations.
Pak-Kazakh Reciprocal Participation in Agricultural Economies: Pakistan and Kazakhstan both have farming and industry-based economies in this manner ought to enhance cooperation in these areas. Both the nations are searching for remote coordinate speculations (FDIs) and participation between the sides the two would offer assistance surrender the specified results.
Collaborative Commitment between Pakistan and Kazakhstan: A meaningful MoU has been signed between the National Export and Investment Agency “KAZNEX INVEST” JSC and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), to enhance participation in organizing presentations, trading business, and holding assignments on exchange. A while later, TDAP included the presentation “World Food Kazakhstan, Almaty” in its presentations calendar for the year 2019, which made a difference in introducing Pakistani foods in Kazakh advertising. In this setting, the CGSS, Pakistan may play a decisive part by speeding up diversified but integrated business & venture activities on corresponding premises in the future. A mix of Pakistani items may also be propelled very soon in Kazakhstan where, TAPAL, Treet Blades, and Vital Tea have already been launched.
Conclusion: Pakistan and Kazakhstan share warm relations on the basics of same attitudes to major international issues and appreciation of each other’s citizens which is quite unique, Islamic brotherhood, and goodwill to each other. The symbolic union of Pakistan and Kazakhstan creates an impressive and delightful image in which these two countries bound theoretically by the cooperative projectile of the fields like politics, economy, culture and defense are expected to contain a special unique nature.
Both the countries happen to be outlining their onset relations interest with concentration on the economics and trade. Two countries are envisioned to shape up their good relationship and hopefully both of them will repay and pay off.
