US Diplomatic Vacuum in Kazakhstan Raises Concerns - Expert

The head of the International Foundation for the Protection of Freedom of Speech, "Adil Soz" Karlygash Zhamankulova, a former adviser to the US Ambassador to Kazakhstan, expressed concern on Facebook about the absence of the American ambassador, Orda reports.

The concern comes during such a critical period for the country and the region. According to her, diplomatic uncertainty could affect key economic and political processes.

I understand that the global agenda is so fascinating and undoubtedly affects us, but somehow my own focus issues in the context of the new US administration worry me more. For example, at such an important time in Kazakhstan there is no current US ambassador. He resigned demonstratively on the day of Trump's inauguration. There is a temporary chargé d'affaires - Deborah Robinson, a career diplomat with a good understanding of Central Asia, who worked in Uzbekistan for a long time in the important position of head of the political and economic department. She knows Afghanistan well. What is so upsetting then? She arrived recently, in late autumn last year, and does not know us yet. And then it fell on her head that the staff should be reduced by at least 10%, writes Zhamankulova.

Zhamankulova recalled a similar vacuum in all of Central Asia.

Donald Lu's departure from the post of Deputy Secretary of State for the region has left American foreign policy without clear directives, and his successor, Paul Kapoor, has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.

They won't send new directives from the center without a particularly urgent need. Because Under Secretary for the Central and South Asian region Donald Lu left his post in January. And Paul Kapoor hasn't been approved yet. This post is temporarily occupied by Eric Meyer, well known to many Almaty residents. Paul Kapoor is an interesting fellow in general. He has a doctorate from the University of Chicago, is the author of a number of books, including on Southeast Asian security, has researched issues of terrorism, the instrumentalization of Islamism, and is a major specialist in Indo-Pakistani relations, Zhamankulova said.

Against the backdrop of uncertainty in American policy, it is vital for Kazakhstan to independently determine key areas of cooperation with the United States, especially in economics and energy:

And in the context of the still unclear new economic relations between the US and Russia, and also the anti-Chinese sentiment, it would be important now to feel out the contours of the relations. And Rubio has already confirmed that he finds the Jackson-Vanik sanctions archaic. And there is bipartisan support in Congress for supporting the resolution on Kazakhstan. We absolutely need an alternative route for oil exports. We need a pipeline across the Caspian to Baku. This would fit well into the "détente" agenda if we were to pedal both diplomatic and alternative channels now, the expert emphasized.

In her opinion, it is essential for Kazakhstan not to miss the moment and actively work to attract new investments, especially in strategically important areas.

Former US Ambassador to Kazakhstan Daniel Rosenblum announced his resignation from diplomatic service at the end of 2024.

He officially left his post on January 20, 2025.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov