Kazakhstan May Support Japan's Bid for a Permanent UN Seat? On December 19, Tokayev delivered a speech at the United Nations University in Tokyo, calling for the UN Security Council to involve more medium-sized countries. This resonates with Japan's demand for "permanent membership," and received enthusiastic applause at the scene (Figure 2).
According to Kazakhstani news agency, on the afternoon of the 19th, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan came to the United Nations University in Tokyo to deliver a speech titled "A Fairer and More Stable World as Seen by Kazakhstan." In his speech, he mainly expressed three points:
First, the United Nations should be reformed so that the voices of more medium-sized countries can play a role in the United Nations.
Second, he emphasized Kazakhstan's foreign policy positioning, which is a balanced, constructive multi-dimensional diplomacy.
Third, he especially thanked former Japanese Foreign Minister Akiko Sano, because the "Central Asia-Japan" summit mechanism was first proposed by her, and she has made significant contributions to the exchange between Japan and Central Asia.
It should be noted that in his speech, Tokayev did not explicitly state support for Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. However, his statement supporting UN reform and calling for more involvement of medium-sized countries in the UN Security Council corresponds with Japan's request for "permanent membership," so his speech resonated with the audience present.
I believe that from Tokayev's speech, we can see Kazakhstan's current view of the international order:
First, as the largest country in Central Asia, Kazakhstan hopes to become a regional representative, and this aspiration is understandable.
Second, like most countries, Kazakhstan believes that the United Nations needs reform, but it pays more attention to the voice of "medium-sized countries" in the United Nations. The reason why Tokayev has such a demand is because he deeply understands the "dilemma" of medium-sized countries in the game of major powers, which is causally related to his later advocacy of multi-dimensional diplomacy.
Third, Tokayev proposed Kazakhstan's diplomatic philosophy, which is to pursue a balanced and multi-dimensional diplomacy. This indicates that he highly recognizes the "Central Asia-Japan" summit initiated by Hayami Hanae. Although Kazakhstan is an inland country, he hopes to develop economic and diplomatic relations with more economies while cooperating with China and Russia, in pursuit of broader influence.
In summary, I believe that Tokayev's statements on UN reform and "increasing the voice of medium-sized countries" reflect his political "wisdom." This is not intentionally catering to Japan's "permanent membership" demands, but rather expressing the survival wisdom of Kazakhstan as a medium-sized country.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1851936399388745/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.