Kazakhstan's approach to foreign relations is multifaceted and strategic, reflecting the country's unique geopolitical position, historical context, and economic ambitions. At the heart of its international diplomacy is a multivector foreign policy, which aims to maintain balanced and diverse relations with all major global powers and regional neighbours. 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 which eventually became the Eurasian Economic Union. President Nazarbayev has prioritized economic diplomacy into Kazakhstan's foreign policy.
Astana, formerly known as Nur-Sultan, Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Akmola, is the capital and second-largest city of Kazakhstan with a population of 1,350,228 within the city limits after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, though administered as a city with special status separately from the rest of the region. Initially founded as Akmoly in 1830, the city was later renamed Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Akmola before adopting the name Astana in 1998, which means "capital city" in Kazakh. In 2019, the city briefly adopted the name Nur-Sultan in honor of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, but it returned to the name Astana in 2022.
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev is a Kazakh politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council from 1991 to 2022.
Amanat, known as Nūr Otan until 2022, is the ruling political party of Kazakhstan. It has been the ruling party of the country since 1999, and claimed a membership over 762,000 people in 2007. Amanat has been led by Erlan Qoşanov since 26 April 2022.
Bakhyt Turlykhanuly Sultanov is a Kazakh statesman, Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Trade and Integration from January 11 to August 15, 2022, and Minister of Trade and Integration on June 17, 2019. Former Finance Minister, former Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, former deputy prime minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, former Äkim of Astana.
The Syrian peace process is the ensemble of initiatives and plans to resolve the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 and spilled beyond its borders. The peace process was moderated by the Arab League, the UN Special Envoy on Syria, Russia and Western powers. The negotiating parties were representatives of the Syrian Ba'athist regime and the Syrian opposition. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was excluded at the insistence of Turkey. Radical Salafist forces including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have not engaged in any contacts on peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Randa Kassis is a Franco-Syrian politician. She is the president of the Movement of the Pluralistic Society and was the president of the Astana Platform. Her groups' stated aim was to achieve a political transition in Syria involving the regime of Bashar al-Assad, similar to the objectives of the SNC and HNC Kassis' husband, Fabien Baussart, is the founder of the think tank Center of Political and Foreign Affairs which has strong ties to Russia.
Nurlan Zairollauly Nigmatulin is a Kazakh politician who served as the Chairman of the Mäjilis from 22 June 2016 to 1 February 2022 and from 20 January 2012 to 3 April 2014. Prior to that, he headed the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan, and was the first deputy chairman of Nur Otan from 2009 to 2012, and äkim of Karaganda Region from 2006 to 2009.
Snap presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on 26 April 2015 to elect the President of Kazakhstan. This was the fifth presidential election held and second without having any formal opposition candidates. With the highest-ever nationwide turnout of 95.2%, the result was a victory for long-term incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Nur Otan who received 97.8% of the vote, the largest since 1991, thus winning a fifth term in office while his closest challenger, Turgyn Syzdyqov, received only 1.6% of the votes.
Legislative elections were held in Kazakhstan on 20 March 2016. The date was set by president Nursultan Nazarbayev on 20 January 2016, when he dissolved the Mäjilis after it had requested dissolution on 13 January, with the reason cited being the economic crisis caused by low oil prices. Normally, the term of the Mäjilis would have expired in fall of 2016.
Bakhytzhan Abdiruly Sagintayev is a Kazakh politician who was a Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, from 9 September 2016 until his resignation on 21 February 2019. He served as the Äkim of Almaty from 28 June 2019 until he was replaced by Erbolat Dosaev on 31 January 2022 following the 2022 Kazakh unrest which greatly affected the city.
Mikhail Leonidovich Bogdanov is a Russian diplomat. He is Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.
Snap presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on 9 June 2019 to elect the President of Kazakhstan following the resignation of long-term President Nursultan Nazarbayev in March 2019. This was the sixth presidential election held since Kazakhstan's independence. The elections were not free and fair, and were widely denounced as a sham. Acting president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Nur Otan won the election.
Amirjan Sagidrahmanuly Qosanov is a Kazakh politician, journalist, political activist. He was a main challenger to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the 2019 Kazakh presidential election.
Fabien Baussart is the founder and president of the 2006 established think tank Center of Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA), which organizes events and discussions on various geopolitical topics around the world with prominent political figures such as Zbigniew Brzezinski, Kofi Annan, José María Aznar, Mohamed ElBaradei, and Al Gore.
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. The movement adopts a secular federal system as a solution to ensure Syria's unity and integrity.
The Astana Platform was created after several meetings in Astana between members of Syrian opposition forces. Until it ceased its activities in 2023, the platform was headed by the Syrian politician Randa Kassis.
Legislative elections were held in Kazakhstan on 10 January 2021 to elect the members of the Mäjilis to the 7th Parliament of Kazakhstan. They were the eighth legislative elections in Kazakhstan's history since independence and coincided with the 2021 local elections. The elections were the first to be held under Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's presidency and the first since 2004 to be held at the normally scheduled date, rather than due to an early dissolution of the Mäjilis.
The Serik Akhmetov Government was the 11th government of Kazakhstan led by Serik Akhmetov. It was established on 24 September 2012, after Prime Minister Karim Massimov resigned the post that he had held since January 2007 and was appointed as the Head of the Presidential Administration. President Nursultan Nazarbayev nominated Akhmetov to be the new PM who was unanimously approved by the Parliament.
