Relationship dossier
Kazakhstan
Syria
Relationship assessment
Kazakhstan’s role hosting the Astana process is the clearest feature of its relationship with Syria.
Kazakhstan toward Syria
+25Kazakhstan hosted the Astana process on Syria, providing a venue for negotiations involving the Syrian government and other parties to the conflict.
Syria toward Kazakhstan
+15Syrian government representatives took part in the Astana process hosted by Kazakhstan, engaging with Kazakhstan’s diplomatic initiative.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has a concrete diplomatic foundation in Kazakhstan’s hosting of the Astana process and Syrian government participation in it. The known engagement is meaningful but concentrated on conflict diplomacy, rather than evidence of a wide-ranging bilateral 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
Kazakhstan has played a practical diplomatic role in the Syrian conflict by hosting the Astana peace process, in which Syrian government representatives took part. This provides a concrete basis for cooperation, though the relationship appears centered more on conflict diplomacy than on a broad bilateral partnership.
Key developments
The Astana process on Syria began in Kazakhstan, with Syrian government representatives participating in the negotiations.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of bilateral cooperation beyond the Astana process is unclear.
- The direction of Kazakhstan–Syria engagement under Syria’s changed political authorities is uncertain.