"Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan need closer cooperation"
Caliber.Az interview with Arman Shurayev

INTERVIEWS  12 January 2023 - 15:14

Caliber.Az presents an interview with Arman Shurayev, a Kazakh political scientist and public figure.

- What would you say the past year was like for Kazakhstan?

- For Kazakhstan, 2022 was not the most successful year, especially in light of the bloody events at the very beginning of the year, which left some 300 citizens dead, and, to some extent, destabilized the political situation in the country. Moreover, given that Kazakhstan is a participant in Eurasian projects (EAEU), the EU sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had a negative impact on the country's economy. In this regard, I would say that the past year was depressing for Kazakhstan.

- Will Kazakhstan's political and economic strategy change in 2023?

- President Tokayev has declared political reforms in the country, though these are still at a declarative level, and no real steps have been made in this direction yet. However, much is ahead since parliamentary elections are due to take place this year and changes are expected in a number of laws on elections and on political parties, which were initiated and approved by the president. All these reforms are fundamental, nothing will change in the political life of Kazakhstan without them.

As for the economic strategy, it's hard to talk about this at the moment, because titanic changes are taking place around the country, and big and small wars are going on, which directly affects us as well. Accordingly, the development of any serious strategy in economic terms is out of the question for us.

- What is the situation with supplies of Kazakhstan's energy carriers to Europe?

- As is known, about 90 per cent of Kazakhstan energy carriers' delivery to Europe are connected with the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which is laid on the territory of Russia and whose oil-loading terminal is located in the Russian port in Novorossiysk. However, after President Tokayev's statements (which he voiced in St. Petersburg) that Kazakhstan does not recognise the quasi-states "LPR" and "DPR", Russia shut down the pipeline, and energy exports to Europe were suspended completely. This has been a disaster for Kazakhstan's budget, as it is formed by 50 per cent by deductions from energy exports. Therefore, we are now facing a huge task related to exporting our energy carriers and diversifying supplies to Europe, including through the territory of Azerbaijan.

At one time Russia banned Kazakhstan from participation in such large-scale projects as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan for the sake of maintaining its dependence on it for logistics and delivery of energy carriers to Europe. And now the time has come when we must multiply the number of tankers to export Kazakh oil through the seaports of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

- Does Kazakhstan cooperate effectively enough with the Turkic states?

- I think the level of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Turkic states is at an inappropriate level, which is largely due to Russia's opposition. It is not in the interest of Moscow to strengthen the Turkic states, so it makes every effort to prevent the establishment of any alliances. And as I see it, the special services of the Russian Federation are the main antagonist in uniting the Turkic-speaking countries.

- How do you see Kazakh-Azerbaijani relations today and in the future?

- The potential of Kazakh-Azerbaijani relations has not been fully exhausted. The visit of our head of state to Azerbaijan is a significant event, and it certainly made a positive contribution to the bilateral agenda of our countries. Nevertheless, there is a need for closer cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, to unite even more as Turkic-speaking countries. I believe this is the primary key to success in preserving national security and strengthening the economic opportunities of our states.

Caliber.Az