– Yerkin Valitkhanovich, recently the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan said that Kazakhstan is building a new stage in relations with the United States. What does this mean, what does Kazakhstan mean for the US, which has the longest border with Russia in the world?
– Our foreign policy priorities have long been identified and generally have not changed. We have a multi-vector policy, and it has taken place and proved its effectiveness. We have good allied relations with Russia, and with China, and with the Central Asian countries, and with the European Union.
Also, over the years of independence, we have built effective mutually beneficial relations with the United States, and as a person who studied and lived there for some time, I can say that we must further develop relations with this great, I am not afraid of this word, country.
And no matter how much they say now that the world leader is about to change in the economy, investment, technological development, in the cultural sphere, and so on, the United States has been and remains the leader in all these areas. They have a lot of attractive moments. For example, we all watch Hollywood films, we study in this country, we know how good their education is. In any world ranking, American universities are in the lead, they really have the best educational system.
– Do many Kazakhstani children study in America?
– Tens of thousands of Kazakhstani students study at American universities every year. They bring to their country new expertise, new ideas, knowledge in various sectors of the economy, in public administration, medicine, and so on. I think this educational effect should grow in Kazakhstan every year. Excellent American universities are chosen by students themselves.
It is impossible not to mention that the United States is one of the first states that recognized our independence from the very beginning and supports our economic reforms. They have been and remain among our leading investors and invest billions in the economy of Kazakhstan. Thus, over 30 years, the volume of US direct investment in our economy amounted to more than 46 billion US dollars. Currently, we have over 500 companies with American capital, including McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Chevron and many others. For us, economic relations with the United States are very important, although last year the level of trade between our countries amounted to just over 2 billion US dollars, which, of course, does not suit us.
We have a very great potential in economic cooperation, especially in the non-primary sector, and I see the prospect of their development in strengthening relations with the United States in these matters. The United States of America has been and remains one of the leading countries in technological development. This is evidenced by the huge investments that they annually invest in the development of precisely research and development work (R&D).
For example, last year $0.5 trillion was invested. Can you imagine what those amounts are? Ultimately, they return to them in the form of successful startups, in the form of successful technological breakthroughs in all industries. In this regard, of course, we must cooperate with the United States and take an active part in developing partnerships in R&D.
I would like to cite Boston as an example. The GDP of this city alone is greater than the GDP of Kazakhstan. And this despite the fact that there is no oil, no gas, no other mineral resources.
– Where, then, do they get such a GDP?
“Their GDP is science. They have the best, oldest and largest universities in the world – Boston, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Through science, they earn billions of dollars.
Boston is not only a scientific capital, Boston is one of the world capitals of medical tourism, where millions of people from different parts of the Earth come for treatment every year. Boston is also the center of biotech companies. Within Boston alone, there are thousands and thousands of them. All this shows how important it is for us to develop relations with the United States in the field of technology, the non-primary sector of the economy.
Overall, the US is the largest economy in the world. In terms of purchasing power, China has already come out on top, but in terms of nominal GDP, the United States has remained the leader. As far as I remember, last year they had a GDP of 17.5 trillion US dollars.
Once, while in Boston, I was talking to a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he said that the problems of the modern world are not about money, but about finding brilliant talented ideas that would eventually be realized in large-scale world projects. Take the same Apple, which started in a garage, and eventually grew into one of the most successful and huge companies in the world in terms of capitalization.
“ But Apple is going to China…
– True, but the main profit goes to the United States as the patent holder.
– Yerkin Valitkhanovich, what can you say about the political interaction between Kazakhstan and the United States?
– As for political interaction and national security, as I have already noted, the United States was one of the first countries to recognize our independence and provide all possible support to our sovereign development.
When we began major political reforms this year, the United States once again expressed its full support, including the June 5 referendum on constitutional changes. This was confirmed at almost all levels – in the White House, and in the State Department, and in the US Congress. We have developed a fairly good mutual understanding on the political agenda, on the democratization of Kazakhstan.
As for cooperation in the field of security, we have such a platform as C5 + 1, where the countries of Central Asia, together with the United States, discuss various projects for cooperation and cooperation in Central Asia, including on the climate agenda and the development of investments.
– At one time there were agendas on Afghanistan.
– They, in principle, are still preserved. Kazakhstan, in turn, constantly supported the US efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. For example, Afghan students studied with us. In addition, we provided humanitarian aid to the IRA. Last year, 5 thousand tons of flour were sent there to resolve the humanitarian crisis.
In general, we can say that we have a fairly good dialogue with the United States in the field of security.
Separately, I would like to note the development of human capital in our relations with the United States. As I said, thousands of Kazakhstani students study at the best American universities, including Ivy League universities, and here I see huge potential for the development of Kazakhstan in the economy, in public administration, and in other areas. This is also a good bridge for strengthening relations between the two countries and a great, still unrealized potential.
– What does Kazakhstan mean for the USA, which has the longest border with Russia in the world?
– For the United States of America, one of the key factors of attention to Kazakhstan is its geography. We have a long land border not only with Russia, but also with China. Along the Caspian we have a border with Azerbaijan and Iran. We also border with other countries of Central Asia. Therefore, if we look from this point of view at the prospects for the development of global corridors, not only transport, but also others along the east-west, north-south line, then Kazakhstan is in a very advantageous geographical position. And if earlier Kazakhstan was interesting for the USA, first of all, from the point of view of Afghanistan, today everything is changing.
Today, Kazakhstan is becoming an increasingly important actor for the international community and for the United States as a world superpower. And if we take together all the global corridors – road, rail, energy, the movement of human capital, then Kazakhstan becomes one of the most important countries in terms of the world movement of goods and services.
Unfortunately, the construction of roads in Kazakhstan and their infrastructure leave much to be desired.
– Roads are at the very least, but they are being built.
– I do not argue, they are being built, but there is not enough good infrastructure. We are a huge country, and we need good roads and high-quality infrastructure, and if the government of Kazakhstan pays attention to the development of road infrastructure, then the US experience will be very useful for us in this regard. This is the first.
Second. Kazakhstan is interesting for the US in terms of human capital. We are probably one of the largest countries in the post-Soviet space, with the largest number of graduates who graduated from leading American universities. For the United States, it is always important what young professionals who studied in this country are doing.
I think maybe it’s time to create an association of young Kazakhstanis – graduates of American universities, where they could discuss and apply the knowledge gained in the USA for the development of their country.