Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry welcomed the results of international meeting on the Syrian settlement, held on January 23-24 in Astana. It believes that the agreements reached during Astana process will help political settlement of the Syrian crisis within the framework of Geneva process. What Syrian talks gave to Astana itself? What is the role of Kazakhstan in international politics? Süddeutsche Zeitung tried to answer these questions.
Columnist of influential German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Frank Nienhuyse, devoted an article to international talks on the Syrian settlement, which ended today in Astana. "Why Astana? Why not Geneva, Paris, Minsk, or New York, where the UN headquarters is? Holding Syrian conference in Central Asia was Russia's idea, and Kazakhstan gladly accepted. Oil-rich country has great ties with protagonists of the meeting," the journalist noted. Sebastian Schick, expert on Central Asian countries at the Berlin Foundation of Science and Politics (SWP), stressed in an interview with the newspaper: "Russia is an important military and political guarantor, Turkey is a close trading partner, and Kazakhstan also maintains close contacts with the Middle East . President Nursultan Nazarbayev also helped Russia and Turkey to improve relations after horrible conflict." Nienhuyse compares Minsk process in Ukraine to the current talks in Astana, emphasizing that in both cases governments often criticized by the West are trying to improve their international reputation.
At the same time, Süddeutsche Zeitung recalls that Kazakhstan is positioning itself as an important international player for a long time. "Several years ago, the country was the OSCE chairman, and Kazakhstan will be a member of the UN Security Council this and next year. Huge Kazakhstan is a key transit country in the ambitious Chinese project Silk Road. However, President Nazarbayev definitely needs more successes, since low oil prices hit country's export. Although country's welfare is higher than that of its neighbors, there were a lot of attacks in the past months, for which the government blames Islamists," the article says.
Kazakhstan could also benefit from a new stability in Syria."Delayed gas pipeline project in Syria could return on the agenda," Oxford University's Samuel Ramani writes."If Assad's regime will strengthen its position after talks in Astana, Kazakhstan would strengthen its ties with international allies of the Syrian regime, Russia and Iran. Overall, Astana now has great prospects - at least for the host country," German publication concluded.
