THE EUROPEAN UNIONCENTRAL ASIA RELATIONS: KAZAKHSTAN AS A LEADING ACTOR
Keywords:
Central Asia, cooperation, energy, European Union, Kazakhstan, strategy.Abstract
Five independent republics—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—emerged in Central Asia (CA) after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The newly independent states have followed different foreign policies and established bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries and international organizations. One of these organizations is the European Union (EU). The relations of CA republics with the EU are prescribed by various documents that emphasize the common issues of democracy, human rights, rule of law, security, energy, transportation, and trade. However, the EU’s relations with each of the CA countries are based on different legal bases, and the priorities in relations vary from country to country primarily according to their internal dynamics. The majority of existing research analyzes the EU’s initiatives in CA republics and its attempts to establish partnership and cooperation with them from the viewpoint of the Union. However, it was observed that Kazakhstan’s role as a motivator in the EU-Central Asia relations is a neglected part of related studies. As the region’s largest country, Kazakhstan has adopted a multi-dimensional foreign policy and prioritizes peace, welfare, and security both within and outside of its borders. This study aims to analyze Kazakhstan’s role in launching policies by the EU in CA. Investigating the main developments between the EU and CA states during the past years, the authors determined that Kazakhstan has provided important contributions to the EU-CA joining process and is still encouraging other CA countries to cooperate more closely with the EU.
Downloads
References
K. O’Neill, J. Balsiger, S.D. VanDeveer, “Actors, Norms and Impact: Recent International Cooperation Theory and the InÀuence of the Agent-Structure Debate,” Annual Review of Political Science, Vol. 7, 2004, pp. 149-175.
See: H. Milner, “International Theories of Cooperation among Nations: Strengths and Weaknesses,” World Politics,No. 44, April 1992, pp. 466-496.
Except for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
See: V. Paramonov, A. Strokov, Z. Abduganieva, “Vliianie Evropeiskogo soiuza na Tsentralnuiu Aziu: obzor, analiz i prognoz,” Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Almaty, 2017, p. 5, available at [http://library.fes.de/pdf-¿les/bueros/kasachstan/13414-20170614.pdf], 20 April, 2018.
On 8 September, 1998, 12 TRACECA countries signed the Basic Multilateral Agreement on International Transport for Development of the Europe-the Caucasus-Asia Corridor (MLA) with the aim of implementing in full their geopolitical and economic potentials. This agreement is a basis for the implementation of the TRACECA program. Turkmenistan is a partici-pant to the TACIS-TRACECA programs, however, it is not a party to the MLA. For more information, see: [http://www.raceca-org.org/en/traceca/history-of-traceca/].
See: T. Delpech, “Enlarging Europe’s Strategic Vision,” in: The New Frontiers of Europe. The Enlargement of the European Union: Implications and Consequences, ed. by D.S. Hamilton, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Washington D.C.,2005, pp. 157-168.
See: F. Bossuyt, “The European Union’s Political and Security Engagement with Central Asia: How to Move For-ward,” The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 6 September, 2017, available at [http://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/feature-articles/item/13464-the-european-union%E2%80%99s-political-and-security-engagement-with-central-asia-how-to-move-forward.html], 23 May, 2018.
See: V. Paramonov et al., op. cit., p. 8.
See: World Bank Groups, “The Impact of China on Europe and Central Asia: Europe and Central Asia Economic Update,” April 2016, p. 5, available at [http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/136351467990956476/pdf/104605-RE-VISED-ECA-2016.pdf], 21 May, 2018.
See: European Commission, “Trade Statistics. Central Asia,” available at [http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2013/
ovember/tradoc_151896.pdf], 21 May, 2018.
See: European Commission, “Kazakhstan,” available at [http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/coun-tries/kazakhstan/], 21 February, 2018.
See: European Union External Action, “Kazakhstan,” available at [https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/¿les/memoran-dum_of_understanding_on_co-operation_in_the_¿eld_of_energy_between_the_european_union_and_the_republic_of_ka-zakhstan_en,pdf], 28 May, 2018.
See: S. Golunov, “Border Security in Central Asia: Before and After September 11,” in: Facing the Terrorist Chal-lenge—Central Asia’s Role in Regional and International Cooperation, ed. by A.H. Ebnöther, E.M. Felberbauer, M. Malek,Bureau for Security Policy at the Austrian Ministry of Defence; National Defence Academy, Vienna and Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Geneva, in cooperation with PfP-Consortium of Defence Academies and Security Studies Institutes, Vienna and Geneva, April 2005, pp. 89-109, available at [http://www.bundesheer.at/pdf_pool/publika-tionen/10_wg_ftc_40.pdf], 24 May, 2018.
See: F. Umbach, S. Raszewski, “Strategic Perspectives for Bilateral Energy Cooperation Between the EU and Kazakhstan, Geo-Economic and Geopolitical Dimensions in Competition with Russia and China’s Central Asia Policies,”Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and European Centre for Energy and Resource Security, Astana, 2016, available at [http://www.
as.de/wf/doc/kas_44337-1522-2-30.pdf?160304061521], 4 June, 2018.
For more information, see: “Strategy 2050,” available at [https://strategy2050.kz/en/], 4 June, 2018.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, “Foreign Policy Concept for 2014-2020. Republic of Kazakhstan,” available at [http://mfa.gov.kz/en/content-view/kontseptsiya-vneshnoj-politiki-rk-na-2014-2020-gg], 3 June,2018.
Ibidem.
See: D. Malyshev, “The Eurasian Economic Union: Development Prospects,” Central Asia and the Caucasus, Vol. 16,Issue 2, 2015, p. 9.
See: R.S. Kurmangujin, “Kazakhstan i ES: ot strategii sotrudnichestva k novomu soglasheniu o prodvinutom partner-stve,” Sravnitelnaya politika, No. 1 (22), 2016, p. 107.
See: G. Mostafa, “The Concept of ‘Eurasia’: Kazakhstan’s Eurasian Policy and Its Implications,” Journal of Eurasian Studies, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2013, pp. 160-170.
See: R.S. Kurmangujin, op. cit., p. 112.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2018 AUTHOR
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
