On May 22, new Russian President Dmitri Medvedev made his first foreign diplomatic visit of his term to Astana, Kazakhstan. This gesture shows to the Astana's government, China, US, and the world that Russia sees great importance in its relations with this CA/CIS power, but also the region as a whole. Medvedev stated; “Astana did not become the first foreign capital that I have visited as president of Russia by chance. The main thing is that Russia values the genuinely friendly and mutually-advantageous relations with Kazakhstan, our strategic partner.” Kazak President Nazarbayev went even further, calling the two nations bilateral links tighter than those of any other two states on earth.
So what was accomplished during this meeting between such good buddies? They signed a joint declaration designating the Commonwealth of Independent States as the main forum for cooperation, with Medvedev stating that the strengthening of the CIS was a major Russian priority. However, the joint declaration did not specify much else regarding energy or security measures, though there were major rumors that a new gas deal was to be signed doubling the capacity of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The two nations energy relationship may be a bit strained at the moment considering that just a few weeks before Kazak government ratified a deal to export oil through the Western-backed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. Concerning economic deals, the two sides agreed to draw up a new economic cooperation blueprint to replace the existing one and Medvedev stated ‘We speak one economic language.’ However, Kazak's deal with BTC proves that Kazak has other ideas when it comes to energy. Even so, this visit means much regarding the two's close relationship and though both sides will never get exactly what they want, Russia complete CA domination, and Kazak a freer voice in its energy and security dealings, much can be gained from closer ties.
Another important aspect about this visit is what it means to the other CA states, specifically Kazak's rival for regional powerhouse, Uzbekistan. It was just eight years ago, when a newly appointed Russian president named Vladimir Putin decided to visit Tashkent as his first official foreign venture. Radio Free Europe published a piece arguing that Medvedev's trip to Astana instead signifies a changing of the guard of sorts, as Kazak's rising economic and strategic power currently outweighs Uzbekistan's. The article asserts that Astana's President Nazabayev is more stable and predictable leader who never left Russia's side in any major dispute, while painting a picture of Uzbek's Karimov as being less stable and more willing to court the West and to a large degree this is true. As Kazak's new BTC deal exemplifies, Nazarbayev can have a flexible and multi-centered foreign policy and relations, but he has used greater nuance and kept Russia satisfied throughout his nearly 20 year run, well on the other hand Uzbek's Karimov has had at times strained relations with its former sovereign.
What does Russia's visit to Kazakhstan mean to Central Asia as a whole? What does it mean for Kazakhstan? Russia? Uzbekistan? Medvedev visited Beijing and met with President Hu for two straight days right after his trip to Astana. What does this mean to/for the CA?
