In January 2022, at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty (CSTO)’s troops intervened on Kazakh soil to help quell widespread deadly clashes, an unprecedented phenomenon in the country's recent history. Having de facto kept Tokayev in power, the Kremlin expected to count on Kazakhstan’s unconditional support towards its offensive in Ukraine. However, that was not the case.
Scarcely two years after protesters redefined the political landscape in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s giant northern neighbour – Kazakhstan – has witnessed a series of uprisings that started in the Western city of Zhanaozen and soon spread to other Southern cities and, most importantly, the former capital of Almaty.
Il Kazakistan chiude le frontiere, e il presidente Tokaev respinge ogni ipotesi di mediazione con i manifestanti.
Over the past year and a half, the political scene in Kazakhstan has quieted down considerably. The mass protests that gripped the country during the 2019 presidential election and afterward are but a memory.
On 2 May 2020, Kazakh President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev announced through a post on the presidential website the removal of Dariga Nazarbayeva from her position as chair of the country’s senate.
On 26 March, the United States announced a $274 million package for COVID-19-related foreign aid. The investment is directed towards “64 of the most at-risk countries”, with all Central Asian republics included in the list.
Uzbek president Islam Karimov’s death in 2016, coupled with Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s resignation earlier this year, represent the most significant political developments in Central Asia in recent memory.
In seguito alla fine dell’Urss, l’interesse della Cina finalizzato a sviluppare le relazioni con la Russia e i 5 stati dell’Asia centrale (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan e Uzbekistan) è andato espandendosi.