Editing Kazakhstan (section)

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Kazakhstan}}
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in South Korea, March 2012-15.jpeg|thumb|President [[Nursultan Nazarbayev|Nazarbayev]] with U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] and Russian President [[Dmitry Medvedev]] in 2012]]

Kazakhstan is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the [[Economic Cooperation Organization]] and the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]]. The nations of Kazakhstan, Russia, [[Belarus]], Kyrgyzstan and [[Tajikistan]] established the [[Eurasian Economic Community]] in 2000, to revive earlier efforts to harmonise trade tariffs and to create a free trade zone under a customs union. On 1 December 2007, it was announced that Kazakhstan had been chosen to chair the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] for the year 2010. Kazakhstan was elected a member of the [[UN Human Rights Council]] for the first time on 12 November 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/Kazakhstan-became-member-of-UN-Human-Rights-Council--14431/ |title=Kazakhstan became member of UN Human Rights Council |work=Tengrinews.kz English |date=13 November 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101051159/http://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/Kazakhstan-became-member-of-UN-Human-Rights-Council--14431/ |archive-date=1 January 2016}}</ref>

Kazakhstan is also a member of the United Nations, [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]], [[Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council]], [[Turkic Council]], and [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] (OIC). It is an active participant in the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|North Atlantic Treaty Organisation]] [[Partnership for Peace]] program.<ref name="pfpsigs">{{cite web|author=North Atlantic Treaty Organization|title=Signatures of Partnership for Peace Framework Document|date=5 October 2006|url=http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129213256/http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm|archive-date=29 November 2006}}</ref>

In 1999, Kazakhstan had applied for observer status at the [[Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly]]. The official response of the Assembly was that because Kazakhstan is partially located in Europe,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/X2H-Xref-ViewHTML.asp?FileID=9998|title=Situation in Kazakhstan and its relations with the Council of Europe|last=Iwiński|first=Tadeusz|date=7 July 2006|website=Council of Europe – Parliamentary Assembly|access-date=14 February 2020|quote=For its part, the Assembly might decide, already at this stage, to interpret Rule 59 of its Rules of procedure, concerning special guests, in such a way as to include the Eurasian States. Two Council of Europe member States, Turkey and Russia, belong geographically to both Europe and Asia and are therefore Eurasian. Strictly speaking, the three South Caucasus States, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are located in Asia, yet their membership of political Europe is no longer in doubt. [...] This being the case, Kazakhstan, as a Eurasian State participating in the OSCE and a signatory to the International covenant on civil and political rights and the International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, would meet the criteria laid down in Rule 59, making it eligible to apply for special guest status with the Assembly.|archive-date=9 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909233442/http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/X2H-Xref-ViewHTML.asp?FileID=9998|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://isdp.eu/content/uploads/2017/10/2017-cornell-engvall-kazakhstan-in-europe-why-not.pdf|title=Kazakhstan in Europe: Why Not?|last1=Cornell|first1=Svante|last2=Engvall|first2=Johan|date=2017|website=Institute for Security & Development Policy|access-date=15 February 2020|quote=However, by 2006, a Rapporteur for the Political Affairs Committee concluded that because of Kazakhstan's nature as a European country, the country should be considered 'eligible to apply for a special guest status.'|archive-date=24 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024154030/https://isdp.eu/content/uploads/2017/10/2017-cornell-engvall-kazakhstan-in-europe-why-not.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> it could apply for full membership, but that it would not be granted any status whatsoever at the council until its democracy and human rights records improved.

Since independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has pursued what is known as the "multi-vector foreign policy" ({{langx|kk|көпвекторлы сыртқы саясат|köpvektorly syrtqy saiasat }}), seeking equally good relations with its two large neighbours, Russia and China, as well as with the United States and the rest of the Western world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blank |first=Stephen |title=Kazakhstan's Foreign Policy in a Time of Turmoil |publisher=EurasiaNet |date=27 April 2005 |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042705.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045839/http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav042705.shtml |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=9 April 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Ariel |title=Kazakh foreign minister insists balanced foreign policy remains intact |publisher=Business News Europe |date=7 October 2008 |url=http://www.businessneweurope.eu/story1291 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817020006/http://www.businessneweurope.eu/story1291 |archive-date=17 August 2009}}</ref> Russia leases approximately {{convert|6000|km2|0|abbr=out}} of territory enclosing the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] space launch site in south central Kazakhstan, where the first man was launched into space as well as Soviet space shuttle [[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran]] and the well-known space station [[Mir]].

On 11 April 2010, presidents Nazarbayev and [[Barack Obama|Obama]] met at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., and discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between the United States and Kazakhstan. They pledged to intensify bilateral co-operation to promote nuclear safety and non-proliferation, regional stability in Central Asia, economic prosperity, and universal values.<ref>[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/joint-statement-meeting-between-president-obama-and-kazakhstan-president-nazarbayev Joint Statement on the meeting between President Obama and Kazakhstan president Nazarbayev | The White House] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216172644/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/joint-statement-meeting-between-president-obama-and-kazakhstan-president-nazarbayev |date=16 February 2017 }}. Whitehouse.gov (11 April 2010). Retrieved 14 January 2013.</ref>

Since 2014, the Kazakhstani government has been bidding for a non-permanent member seat on the UN Security Council for 2017–2018.<ref name=AT5>{{cite web|title=Kazakhstan, UN Continue Building on Two-Decades of Cooperation|url=http://astanatimes.com/2014/10/kazakhstan-un-continue-building-two-decades-cooperation/|website=Astanatimes.com|date=27 October 2014 |access-date=14 February 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219170610/http://astanatimes.com/2014/10/kazakhstan-un-continue-building-two-decades-cooperation/|archive-date=19 February 2016}}</ref> On 28 June 2016 Kazakhstan was elected as a non-permanent member to serve on the UN Security Council for a two-year term.<ref name=UN>{{cite web|title=Sweden, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan elected to Security Council|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54350#.WDczqbXXfYU|website=un.org| date=28 June 2016 |access-date=23 November 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125045313/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54350#.WDczqbXXfYU|archive-date=25 November 2016}}</ref>
[[File:Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states Summit gets underway in Samarkand 02.jpg|thumb|Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan|Erdoğan]], [[Xi Jinping]] and other leaders at the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] summit in Samarkand, 16 September 2022]]
Kazakhstan has supported UN peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Western Sahara, and Côte d'Ivoire.<ref name=TN1>{{cite news|title=Kazakh peacekeepers in Western Sahara|url=http://en.tengrinews.kz/military/Kazakh-peacekeepers-in-Western-Sahara-257039/|publisher=Tengrinews|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108204101/http://en.tengrinews.kz/military/Kazakh-peacekeepers-in-Western-Sahara-257039/|archive-date=8 November 2014}}</ref> In March 2014, the Ministry of Defense chose 20 Kazakhstani military men as observers for the UN peacekeeping missions. The military personnel, ranking from captain to colonel, had to go through specialised UN training; they had to be fluent in English and skilled in using specialised military vehicles.<ref name="TN1" />

In 2014, Kazakhstan gave Ukraine humanitarian aid during the conflict with Russian-backed rebels. In October 2014, Kazakhstan donated $30,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross's humanitarian effort in Ukraine. In January 2015, to help the humanitarian crisis, Kazakhstan sent $400,000 of aid to [[Novorossiya (confederation)|Ukraine's southeastern regions]].<ref name=gpostukraine1>{{cite news|title=Kazakhstan delivers humanitarian aid to Ukraine |url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/agencia-efe/150111/kazakhstan-delivers-humanitarian-aid-ukraine |work=Global Post |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205230451/https://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/agencia-efe/150111/kazakhstan-delivers-humanitarian-aid-ukraine |archive-date=5 February 2015}}</ref> President Nazarbayev said of the war in Ukraine, "The fratricidal war has brought true devastation to eastern Ukraine, and it is a common task to stop the war there, strengthen Ukraine's independence and secure territorial integrity of Ukraine."<ref name=ukrainenaz>{{cite news|title=Nazarbayev Offers to Mediate in Ukraine, Stresses Kazakhstan's Economic Resilience|url=http://astanatimes.com/2014/12/nazarbayev-offers-mediate-ukraine-stresses-kazakhstans-economic-resilience/|work=The Astana Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208182750/http://astanatimes.com/2014/12/nazarbayev-offers-mediate-ukraine-stresses-kazakhstans-economic-resilience/|archive-date=8 December 2015}}</ref> Experts believe that no matter how the Ukraine crisis develops, Kazakhstan's relations with the European Union will remain normal.<ref name=CarnegieUkraniepiece>{{cite web|title=Nazarbayev as Mediator| work=Carnegie Moscow Center |url=http://carnegie.ru/commentary/?fa=57771|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Moscow Center|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208144059/http://carnegie.ru/commentary/?fa=57771|archive-date=8 December 2015 | last1=Malashenko | first1=Alexey }}</ref> It is believed that Nazarbayev's mediation is positively received by both Russia and Ukraine.<ref name="CarnegieUkraniepiece" />

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on 26 January 2015: "We are firmly convinced that there is no alternative to peace negotiations as a way to resolve the crisis in south-eastern Ukraine."<ref name=ukrainejan26statement>{{cite news|title=Kazakhstan Urges Peaceful Resolution to Ukraine Conflict, Reiterates Minsk Agreements|url=http://astanatimes.com/2015/01/kazakhstan-urges-peaceful-resolution-ukraine-conflict-reiterates-minsk-agreements/|work=The Astana Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208154047/http://astanatimes.com/2015/01/kazakhstan-urges-peaceful-resolution-ukraine-conflict-reiterates-minsk-agreements/|archive-date=8 December 2015}}</ref> In 2018, Kazakhstan signed the UN [[treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament&nbsp;– No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |date=7 July 2017 |access-date=16 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |archive-date=6 August 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Putin-Tokayev meeting (2022-11-28) 01.jpg|thumb|President [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], 28 November 2022]]

On 6 March 2020, the Concept of the Foreign Policy of Kazakhstan for 2020–2030 was announced. The document outlines the following main points:

* An open, predictable and consistent foreign policy of the country, which is progressive in nature and maintains its endurance by continuing the course of the First President – the country at a new stage of development;
* Protection of human rights, development of humanitarian diplomacy and environmental protection;
* Promotion of the country's economic interests in the international arena, including the implementation of state policy to attract investment;
* Maintaining international peace and security;
* Development of regional and multilateral diplomacy, which primarily involves strengthening mutually beneficial ties with key partners – Russia, China, the United States, Central Asian states and the EU countries, as well as through multilateral structures – the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3622809|title=President approves new concept of Kazakhstan's foreign policy for 2020–2030|last=INFORM.KZ|date=9 March 2020|website=inform.kz|language=ru|access-date=7 April 2020|archive-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407103930/https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3622809|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:CSTO Map.svg|thumb|Member states of the [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]] (CSTO)]]

Kazakhstan's memberships of international organisations include:

* [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] (CIS)
* [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]] (CSTO)
* [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]]
* [[Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council]]
* [[Individual Partnership Action Plan]], with [[NATO]], Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, [[Moldova]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Montenegro]]
* [[Turkic Council]] and the [[TÜRKSOY]] community. (The national language, [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]], is related to the other [[Turkic languages]], with which it shares cultural and [[Turkic peoples|historical ties]])
* United Nations
* [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE)
* [[UNESCO]], where Kazakhstan is a member of its [[World Heritage Committee]]<ref name=UNESCO>{{cite web |title=Twelve new members elected to World Heritage Committee |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1082/ |publisher=UNESCO |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218004512/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1082 |archive-date=18 February 2016}}</ref>
* [[Nuclear Suppliers Group]] as a participating government
* [[World Trade Organization]]<ref name="wtokz">{{cite web|title=Kazakhstan and the WTO|url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/kazakhstan_e.htm|website=World Trade Organization|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701122807/https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/kazakhstan_e.htm|archive-date=1 July 2017}}</ref>
* [[Organization of Islamic Cooperation]] (OIC)<ref name="oicmems">{{cite web|title=Member States|url=http://www.oic-oci.org/states/?lan=en|website=OIC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609063319/http://www.oic-oci.org/states/?lan=en|archive-date=9 June 2017}}</ref>
Based on these principles, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kazakhstan has increasingly pursued an independent foreign policy, defined by its own foreign policy objectives and ambitions<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sanchez |first=Wilder Alejandro |date=May 2020 |title=A Rising Global Player: Kazakhstan's Foreign Policy in the 2020s |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/uploads/documents/KI_200514_cable%2051_v1.pdf |website=Wilson Center |access-date=21 December 2022 |archive-date=21 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221082204/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/uploads/documents/KI_200514_cable%2051_v1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Umarov |first=Temur |title=Kazakhstan Is Breaking Out of Russia's Grip |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/09/16/kazakhstan-russia-ukraine-war/ |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=Foreign Policy |date=16 September 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223102832/https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/09/16/kazakhstan-russia-ukraine-war/ |url-status=live }}</ref> through which the country attempts to balance its relations with "all the major powers and an equally principled aversion towards excessive dependence in any field upon any one of them, while also opening the country up economically to all who are willing to invest there."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kazakhstan asserts its independent foreign policy |url=https://trendsresearch.org/insight/kazakhstan-asserts-its-independent-foreign-policy/ |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=trendsresearch.org |language=en |archive-date=21 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221082345/https://trendsresearch.org/insight/kazakhstan-asserts-its-independent-foreign-policy/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Kazakhstan is the 59th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 [[Global Peace Index]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf|title=2024 Global Peace Index}}</ref>