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.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the world's population and 5.21% of the global economy, as of 2021.
The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is a Eurasian political and economic intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade and investment opportunities. The ECO is an ad hoc organisation under the United Nations Charter. The objective is to establish a single market for goods and services, much like the European Union. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the ECO expanded to include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in 1992.
Chābahār ; is a city in the Central District of Chabahar County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is a free port situated on the coast of the Gulf of Oman, and is Iran's southernmost city. The sister port city of Gwadar in Balochistan, Pakistan, is located about 170 kilometres (110 mi) to the east of Chabahar.
India–Iran relations are the bilateral relationship between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Independent India and Iran established diplomatic relations on 15 March 1950. However, ties between both ancient Persia and ancient India date back millennia. During much of the Cold War, relations between India and the erstwhile Imperial State of Iran suffered due to their differing political interests: India endorsed a non-aligned position but fostered strong links with the Soviet Union, while Iran was an open member of the Western Bloc and enjoyed close ties with the United States. While India did not welcome the 1979 Islamic Revolution, relations between the two states strengthened momentarily in its aftermath. However, Iran's continued support for Pakistan in the India–Pakistan conflict and India's close relations with Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War greatly strained bilateral ties. In the 1990s, both India and Iran supported the Northern Alliance against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the latter of which received overt Pakistani backing and ruled most of the country until the 2001 United States-led invasion. They continued to collaborate in supporting the broad-based anti-Taliban government, led by Ashraf Ghani and backed by the international community, until the Taliban captured Kabul in 2021 and re-established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. India and Iran signed a defence cooperation agreement in December 2002.
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.
Barnett Richard Rubin is an American political scientist and a leading expert on Afghanistan and South Asia. He is the author of eight books and is currently senior fellow and director at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University, a leading foreign policy center. He was previously senior advisor to the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has advised the United Nations, NATO, the United States, and the Afghan government on numerous policy matters, including aid policy, security policy, and diplomatic strategy.
Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran's only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths. It is only about 170 kilometres west of the Pakistani port of Gwadar.
Afghanistan–India relations are the diplomatic relations between India and Afghanistan. They had been historical neighbors when India was under colonial rule and have since shared cultural ties through Bollywood and cricket.
Afghanistan–Denmark relations refer to diplomatic ties between Afghanistan and Denmark. Afghanistan is represented in Denmark through its embassy in Oslo, Norway. Denmark used to have an embassy in Kabul until it was closed in 2021 due to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, that has not been recognized by any state in the world. In 2010 Denmark had 760 soldiers in Afghanistan. As of 2024, Denmark has no soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. The last Danish troops were withdrawn in June 2021. As of the third quarter of 2024, 21,822 Afghans live in Denmark.
Dr. Faramarz Tamanna is a university professor, writer, an Afghan politician and the chancellor of the University of Afghanistan in Kabul. He was Director General of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Afghanistan). He holds his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University in International Studies.
Mahmoud Saikal is an Afghan former senior diplomat and an international development specialist. He was the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United Nations from October 2015 until February 2019.
Hamidullah Farooqi is an Afghan politician, economist and activist. He has written several research papers and served in higher positions within the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s government. Farooqi served as the Chancellor of Kabul University from 2016 to 2021 until the fall of Kabul in the hands of Taliban. He also served as Advisor Minister to President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Higher Education. He previously served as Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation from March 2009 to January 2010 in the cabinet of former President Hamid Karzai.
In Afghanistan, poverty is widespread in rural and urban areas. However, it has been estimated that poverty in Afghanistan is mainly concentrated in rural areas. It has been estimated that four out of five poor people live in rural areas. In these rural areas, families without enough access to adequate nutrition see many infants and children become stunted, malnourished, and die each year. The regions in Afghanistan where almost half of the inhabitants are poor are the eastern, northeastern, and west-central regions. According to the Afghan government's estimates, 42 percent of the Afghanistan's total population lives below the poverty line. Also, 20 percent of people living just above the poverty line are highly vulnerable to falling into poverty.
Lapis Lazuli is an international transit route opened in 2018 linking Afghanistan to Turkey via Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Canberra is the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's diplomatic mission to the Commonwealth of Australia. It is also accredited to New Zealand and Fiji. It is located in the suburb of Deakin, at 4 Beale Crescent. The current Afghan Ambassador to Australia, serving since 2017, is Wahidullah Waissi.
Abas Basir is an Afghan academic and politician who served as the Minister of Higher Education from 14 September 2020 to 15 August 2021. He also held various significant national and international posts. He has served as Director General of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) who was nominated by the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for a term of three years, from August 2018 to September 2020. Dr. Abas Basir was also appointed as Deputy for South Asia Neutregeon Hub between the years 2019–2020.
Afghanistan–Italy relations are the diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Italy which were formed in 1919. On June 3, 1921, they signed the agreement for the exchange of permanent Diplomatic mission and the centenary, on 2021, was celebrated with letters exchanged between their Chairs. Both nations are members of the United Nations but the new Taliban rulers of Afghanistan are not recognised as a valid government by them, or indeed any state so far.
Meerwais Nab, also spelled Mirwais Nab as an Afghan diplomat, who served as the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs from April 2020 to August 2021, and Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic and Regional Cooperation. from 2019 to 2020. He was the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan from 2016 to 2019.
The Afghanistan–India Strategic Partnership Agreement was a bilateral agreement between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, signed on 4 October 2011. It was aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two nations across various sectors, including security, trade, economic development, and cultural exchange.
