Kassym Jomart Tokayev Kazakhstan and Rustam Minnikov Tatarstan scaled e1655474901257 — The meeting between Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Kazakhstan) and Rustam Minnikhov (Tatarstan) during SPIEF 2022 (Credits: Akorda.kz)

Author: Giuliano Bifolchi

During the 25^thSt. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2022), Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev meets separately with Tatarstan Head of State Rustam Minnikhanov and Bashkortostan Head of State Radiy Khaboriv to discuss the prospects for expanding cooperation between the parties in the trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

During the meetings with the Tatar and Bashkir representatives, Kazakh President focused the attention on the implementation of joint projects in key sectors of the economy, as well as the integration of Kazakh factories into the production chains of enterprises in the Russian Federation.[1]

Geopolitical assessment

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2022) confirmed the diplomatic, economic and political partnership between Russia and Kazakhstan and the strategic role that the Kremlin still plays in Central Asian dynamics.

Tatarstan and Bashkortostan have played an influential role in promoting the Russia-Kazakhstan economic and diplomatic ties. At the end of 2021, Kazakhstan-Tatarstan’s mutual trade amounted to $423 million. The countries successfully implemented significant projects in the field of mechanical engineering. The Tatar companiesTatnef (oil and gas sector) and Kamaz (manufacturer of trucks, buses, and engines) are two strategic assets in enhancing Russian-Kazakh cooperation. In the last eleven months of 2021, Kazakhstan-Bashkortostan trade turnover increased by 30.4% and amounted to 336.7 million dollars.

Since the beginning of the year and after the riots and political crisis which interested Kazakhstan at the beginning of January 2022,[2] Tatarstan and Bashkortostan have worked to improve their economic partnership with Nursultan, promoting business and economic collaboration and exploiting a shared cultural background.[3]

Conclusion

Generally speaking, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan support the Russian foreign policy in Central Asia.[4] Since Kazakhstan is a Central Asian republic that belongs to the post-Soviet space that the Kremlin considers its blizhnee zarubezhe (near abroad) and lebensraum (vital space), the Russian Federation might use the good increasing Kazakhstan-Bashkortostan and Kazakhstan-Tatarstan relations to enhance its influence and presence in the Kazakh territory and market, counter the Chinese financial investments linked to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, the U.S. soft power and attempt to create a commercial and economic partnership with Kazakhstan and entire Central Asia, and Ankara’s Pan-Turkism aimed at establishing an alternative regional bloc based on a common culture and language.[5]

Sources

[1] Giuliano Bifolchi (2022) Geopolitical consequences of the political crisis in Kazakhstan, Geopolitical Report Volume 15 Issue 1, SpecialEurasia. Link: https://www.specialeurasia.com/2022/01/08/geopolitics-kazakhstan-crisis/

[2] SpecialEurasia (2022) Kazakhstan and Bashkortostan increased their trade volume and economic partnership. Link: https://www.specialeurasia.com/2022/01/20/kazakhstan-bashkortostan-economy/

[3] SpecialEurasia (2022) Turkmenistan and Tatarstan strengthened their economic cooperation. Link: https://www.specialeurasia.com/2022/02/07/turkmenistan-tatarstan-economy/

[4] Giuliano Bifolchi (2022) Tatarstan’s role in Kyrgyz economic diversification and investments attraction, Geopolitical Report Volume 13 Issue 8, SpecialEurasia. Link: https://www.specialeurasia.com/2021/11/19/tatarstan-kyrgyzstan-economy/

[5] Giuliano Bifolchi (2022) Turkey and pan-Turkism in Central Asia: challenges for Russia and China, Geopolitical Report Volume 7 Issue 2, SpecialEurasia. Link: https://www.specialeurasia.com/2021/05/05/turkey-pan-turkism-central-asia/

Author: Giuliano Bifolchi. Do not hesitate to Contact Us for further analyses or reports about Tatarstan and Kazakhstan.

Written by

Giuliano Bifolchi

SpecialEurasia Co-Founder & Research Manager. He has vast experience in Intelligence analysis, geopolitics, security, conflict management, and ethnic minorities. He holds a PhD in Islamic history from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, a master’s degree in Peacebuilding Management and International Relations from Pontifical University San Bonaventura, and a master’s degree in History from the University of Rome Tor Vergata. As an Intelligence analyst and political risk advisor, he has organised working visits and official missions in the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, and the post-Soviet space and has supported the decision-making process of private and public institutions writing reports and risk assessments. Previously, he founded and directed ASRIE Analytica. He has written several academic papers on geopolitics, conflicts, and jihadist propaganda. He is the author of the books Geopolitical del Caucaso russo. Gli interessi del Cremlino e degli attori stranieri nelle dinamiche locali nordcaucasiche (Sandro Teti Editore 2020) and Storia del Caucaso del Nord tra presenza russa, Islam e terrorismo (Anteo Edizioni 2022). He was also the co-author of the book Conflitto in Ucraina: rischio geopolitico, propaganda jihadista e minaccia per l’Europa (Enigma Edizioni). He speaks Italian, English, Russian, Spanish and Arabic.

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