Relationship dossier
Afghanistan
Kazakhstan
Relationship assessment
Pragmatic engagement centered on trade, transit and humanitarian assistance
Afghanistan toward Kazakhstan
+35Afghanistan’s governments have pursued trade and transit links with Kazakhstan and sought economic engagement with their northern neighbor. The scope and implementation of bilateral arrangements are unclear.
Kazakhstan toward Afghanistan
+35Kazakhstan has provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and engaged with the Taliban authorities that took power in 2021, while pursuing practical economic and transit cooperation. The continuity and scope of these initiatives are uncertain.
Overall relationship
+35The bilateral relationship is characterized by pragmatic economic and transit engagement, alongside Kazakhstan’s humanitarian assistance and contacts with Afghanistan’s current authorities. Cooperation is meaningful but its scope and continuity are uncertain, and the relationship does not amount to a close strategic partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Afghanistan and Kazakhstan have maintained practical government engagement, including trade and transit cooperation and Kazakhstan’s provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Kazakhstan has also engaged with the Taliban authorities that took power in 2021, while Afghanistan has sought closer economic ties with its northern neighbor. The relationship is shaped by pragmatic cooperation, with uncertainty about the scope and implementation of current arrangements.
Key developments
Kazakhstan provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan engaged with the Taliban authorities that took power in Afghanistan.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of trade and transit arrangements are unclear.
- The extent and continuity of Kazakhstan’s engagement with Afghanistan’s current authorities remain uncertain.