ISDP Forum: Kazakhstan’s Role in International Mediation Under First President Nursultan Nazarbayev
On November 26, 2020, the Institute for Security and Development Policy and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Sweden hosted a round-table discussion on “Kazakhstan’s role in international mediation under First President Nursultan Nazarbayev”, marking the launch of ISDP’s study on the topic released in the Institute’s Silk Road Papers series.
The hybrid event brought together Swedish and Kazakh experts and diplomats, including former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, former First Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Jan Eliasson, and former OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekéus.
Noting the lack of previous research on Kazakhstan international mediation initiatives, ISDP Director Svante E. Cornell presented the Institute’s research on Kazakhstani initiatives concerning a variety of international crises. Based on a comparative analysis of efforts in among other the Iran nuclear issue, Astana process on peaceful settlement in Syria, and Turkish-Russian relations, Cornell emphasized the role of international mediation in Kazakhstan’s efforts to maintain a stable geopolitical balance in Eurasia and in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and independence.
During the discussion, Messrs. Eliasson and Ekéus and Kairat Abdrakhmanov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Sweden, drew comparisons to Sweden’s role in international mediation and their own personal experience in various conflict zones around the world and raised the possibility of greater cooperation between Sweden and Kazakhstan in the promotion of international peace and security.
Moreover, the presentation of “The Era of Independence” book written by First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has been presented to the Swedish auditorium during the event. The chief executives and researchers of the Kazakh Institute of the World Economy and Politics and the Foreign Policy Research Institute participated in the forum.