How Central Asia can avoid ‘gaslighting’ by world powers

Gaziz Abishev, a Kazakh political analyst, said closer cooperation among Central Asian countries strengthens the region’s ability to withstand external pressure and «gaslighting» from major powers and multinational corporations.

Abishev pointed to the recent consultative meeting in the Central Asia-Azerbaijan format, hosted by Kyrgyzstan, saying such gatherings allow participating countries to exchange views, discuss shared interests and build mutual trust.

Although Kazakhstan pursues an independent foreign policy, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev supports further development of the CA5 + Azerbaijan format.

«As a middle power, Kazakhstan has extensive diplomatic expertise in its relations with major global capitals. It follows a clear and well-considered strategy,» Abishev said.

Read also: Kazakh expert: How the rivalry with Uzbekistan is fueling local growth.

The expert noted that there are two main reasons for Kazakhstan’s support of the format. First, a bloc representing about 80 million people carries greater weight in international negotiations than individual countries acting alone.

Second, Kazakhstan has a strong interest in the coordinated development of its regional partners. According to Abishev, synchronized economic and political development would strengthen Central Asia as a whole across a wide range of areas.