No. 1/2020 | June 2020

ASEAN-Kazakhstan Relations and Implications for Thailand
Paradorn Rangsimaporn* 

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Abstract

The article examines Kazakhstan’s relations with the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) thus far and prospects for their enhanced engagement. It looks at ASEAN’s place in Kazakhstan’s foreign policy and how Kazakhstan has tried to engage with ASEAN and to become part of its dialogue mechanisms. It examines areas for potential greater engagement primarily due to Kazakhstan’s central role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its membership of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which has increased ASEAN’s interest in Kazakhstan. It lastly explores the implications for Thailand, especially how it can play a role in strengthening ASEAN-Kazakhstan relations.

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Dr. Paradorn Rangsimaporn is Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Royal Thai Embassy in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, and an independent researcher with interest in relations between Southeast Asia and Russia and Central Asia. He received his D.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Oxford.