![]() ![]() ![]() Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has been one of Moscow’s closest and most reliable allies in the post-Soviet space and is part of all the regional organisations Russia has initiated in the region. To help quell the protests, Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, called for an intervention by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a Russian-dominated military alliance of six former Soviet republics.īack then, this call was widely seen by observers in Kazakhstan and beyond as an act of allegiance to Moscow. Scenes of chaos in Almaty were met with brutal repression from the government. The protests started over sharp hikes in fuel prices, but quickly swept up a range of other domestic issues, growing violent in the former capital and biggest city of the country, Almaty. ![]() In early January, the country was shaken for five days by widespread protests and unrest. Kazakhstan experienced a year of shocks and change in 2022. It can help the country to overcome this critical juncture by encouraging and supporting its genuine domestic transformation. The EU has shown interest in engaging more with Kazakhstan.Kazakhstan is now cautiously navigating political change both domestically and in its foreign policy.The war has further highlighted the need for political reforms in Kazakhstan, yet complicated the government’s ability and willingness to implement them.Kazakhstan has consistently distanced itself from Russia’s aggression and diversified its relationships with various countries, while preserving its bilateral relationship with Moscow.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came as an additional shock for Kazakhstan, which had already experienced serious domestic unrest in January 2022. ![]()
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