Articles by Akmaral Arystanbekova

R.I.P. Madeleine Albright, a Great Leader

Madeleine Albright was a great diplomat, a great person and a great woman. I met Madeleine for the first time, in 1993, during my tenure as Kazakhstan’s first Ambassador to the UN, while she arrived as the new Permanent Representative of the United States. Right away I told her, “We are six women among all…

Guarantor of Independence: On 30th Anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Membership in UN

In the second half of the 20th century, for many new states, access to the high tribune of the UN meant international recognition of their sovereignty and independence. The same was true for the Republic of Kazakhstan, which joined the United Nations on March 2, 1992. On this historic day, our new independent state was…

30 Years Ago First Visit by German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher Took Place

Among the foreign policy events of the last months of 1991, preceding the proclamation of independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the first visit to our country by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), Hans-Dietrich Genscher, one of the most influential figures in the history of Germany and world politics…

First Visit of U.S. Secretary of State to Kazakhstan Took Place 30 Years Ago

The first visit by US Secretary of State to Kazakhstan Mr. James Baker, took place thirty years ago, on September 15-16, 1991. In many respects, it laid the foundations of the constructive and equal cooperation between the two states. Mr. Baker arrived in Alma-Ata from St. Petersburg with his wife Susan, accompanied by US Ambassador…

First Official Visit of UN Representative to Kazakhstan Took Place 30 Years Ago

Joining the United Nations is the most prominent and indisputable recognition by the international community of the independence of a new state. As is well known, Kazakhstan was admitted to this key international organization of the modern world on March 2, 1992. However, today it is worth being reminded of one not so well known…

30 Years Ago, Turkish President Paid First Official Visit to Kazakhstan

In March 1991, the official visit of the President of Turkey Turgut Özal took place at the invitation of Kazakhstan’s then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev. This became the first visit of the head of a foreign state in the history of a sovereign Kazakhstan and laid the foundation for the country’s comprehensive cooperation with Turkey. The visit…

Uniting for the Benefit of the Peoples

New York is hosting the 75th anniversary session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which is an unusual event in many ways. Due to the pandemic, traditional general political discussions were held online, in the form of pre-submitted video messages. The unusual form of discussion in the unusually empty hall of the UN General…

Historical parallels

On Jan. 18, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev chaired one of the flagship events of the nation’s presidency of the UN Security Council – a high-level briefing themed “Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Confidence-Building Measures.” In his remarks, President Nazarbayev stressed the pivotal role of the UN Security Council in maintaining security and legitimacy in…

After a quarter-century, Kazakhstan’s foreign service has much to be proud of

Since the dawn of independence, consistency, predictability and the multi-vector character of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy under the leadership of its First President, Nursultan Nazarbaev, have been its unique features, strength and the reason for its success. In the era of globalisation, interdependence, interconnectedness and the emergence of a multi-polar world, adherence to the multi-vector principle…