Astana Platform منصة أستانا السياسية | |
---|---|
Leader | Randa Kassis |
Founded | 2015 |
Dissolved | 2023[1] |
Headquarters | Astana |
Website | |
https://mspsy.com/astana | |
Astana Platform was created after several meetings in Astana between members of the Syrian opposition forces. The platform is headed by the Syrian politician Randa Kassis. [2]
In March 2017, the Astana political platform invited numerous Syrian academics, constitutionalists and political figures in order to start drafting a new constitution for Syria. [35] [36]
The draft of the Syrian constitution was completed in July 2017 [37] with the help of French constitutionalist expert Xavier Latour, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Yasar Yakis [38] and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Giulio Terzi. [39]
On 13 January 2018, Sochi hosted the Syrian National Congress, where numerous Syrian ethnic representatives and opposition forces – including the Astana platform [40] – met to discuss various issues. Kassis highlighted the importance of creating a constitutional committee in order to facilitate the peace process, [41] which the UN and Astana troika – Russian, Iran and Turkey – later agreed to. [42]
Foreign relations of Kazakhstan are primarily based on economic and political security. The Nazarbayev administration has tried to balance relations with Russia and the United States by sending petroleum and natural gas to its northern neighbor at artificially low prices while assisting the U.S. in the War on Terror. Kazakhstan is a member of the United Nations, Collective Security Treaty Organization, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, North Atlantic Cooperation Council, Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Kazakhstan established a customs union with Russia and Belarus, transformed into the Eurasian Economical Community then in 2015 into the Eurasian Economic Union. President Nazarbayev has prioritized economic diplomacy into Kazakhstan's foreign policy.
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, from the country’s independence in 1991 until his formal resignation in 2019, and as the Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2022.
Daniyal Kenjetaiuly Akhmetov is a Kazakh politician who was the 6th prime minister of Kazakhstan from 13 June 2003 to 9 January 2007.
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Adilbek Ryskeldiuly Zhaqsybekov is current Head of the Executive Office of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He served as the minister of defence from June 2009 to April 2014. He was the head of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's administration in 2004-2008 and 2016-2018. He served as the mayor of Astana from 1997 to 2003 and from 2014 to 2016. Chairman of Governors of the Islamic Development Bank in 2003, and the Minister of Industry and Trade from 2003 to 2004.
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The United States and the Republic of Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations on December 16, 1991. The United States opened its embassy in Almaty in January 1992 and then relocated to Astana in 2006.
Kazakhstan–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Before 1918, both countries were part of the Russian Empire and until 1991 they were part of the USSR. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1991. Kazakhstan has an embassy in Kyiv and an honorary consulate in Odesa. Ukraine has an embassy in Astana and a consulate-general in Almaty. There are between 895,000 and 2,400,000 ethnic Ukrainians living in Kazakhstan. Both countries are full members of TRACECA, of the Baku Initiative, of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Partnership for Peace and of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. They are only 468 kilometres (291 mi) apart at their closest points.
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Randa Kassis is a Franco-Syrian politician and a leading secular figure of the Syrian opposition. She was the President of The Astana Platform of the Syrian opposition and the founder of the Movement of the Pluralistic Society.
Kairat Ermekuly Umarov is a diplomat for the Republic of Kazakhstan. On October 6, 2022, he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
The Geneva II Conference on Syria was a United Nations-backed international peace conference on the future of Syria with the aim of ending the Syrian Civil War, by bringing together the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition to discuss the clear steps towards a transitional government for Syria with full executive powers. The conference took place on 22 January 2014 in Montreux, on 23–31 January 2014 in Geneva (Switzerland), and again on 10–15 February 2014.
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The Geneva peace talks on Syria in 2017, also called the Geneva IV, V, VI, VII, & VIII talks, were peace negotiations between the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition under the auspices of the United Nations. The Geneva IV talks took place between 23 February and 3 March 2017, trying to resolve the Syrian Civil War. The Geneva VII talks began on 10 July 2017. The Geneva VIII talks were initially scheduled to begin on 28 November 2017.
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The pluralistic society movement is a political party headed by the Syrian politician Randa Kassis, which aims to establish a "free, democratic, secular Syria" by spreading democratic awareness and developing the rules of thinking regarding the concept of freedom.
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The Center of Political and Foreign Affairs is a think tank focused on government policies and geopolitics, organizes events and discussions on various geopolitical topics around the world