EditA humanitarian agenda for cooperation between Kazakhstan and EU in Afghanistan
Kazakhstan is relying on a model of “pragmatic engagement without recognition” and is developing an independent set of transport, energy, and humanitarian ties with Afghanistan
Only by involving Afghanistan in regional cooperation can common threats be effectively addressed, including cooperation in the fight against terrorism, illegal migration, and drug trafficking, writes Yerkin Tukumov.
Yerkin Tukumov is Special Representative of the President of Kazakhstan for Afghanistan – Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan
The situation in Afghanistan remains complex and ambiguous, as noted by special envoys of the Central Asian countries and the European Union on Afghanistan at a June 15 meeting in Almaty.
Afghanistan’s current authorities are objectively facing a whole range of internal challenges, primarily of a socio-economic nature. Currently, about 29 million Afghans are in need of humanitarian aid.
The economic situation has also been complicated in recent years by the deteriorating humanitarian situation, largely due to the deportation of millions of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan earlier this year. In total, around 5 to 6 million Afghans have returned since 2023, mainly deported from Iran and Pakistan, increasing the population by more than 10%.
Approximately 3.7 million Afghan children are suffering from malnutrition. UNICEF estimates that, in 2026, more than 1.3 million children under the age of five will require treatment for acute malnutrition.
There are also other pressing social issues. The international community pays special attention to the security situation and terrorist threats, as well as government inclusiveness and the rights of women and girls, particularly with regard to their access to work and education.
At the same time, during the almost five years of Taliban rule, the expected “economic and political collapse” had not occurred. The country’s budget is gradually growing, and small and medium-sized businesses are emerging. Industrial parks for the development of national production are appearing in the country’s largest cities, such as Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Herat.
Kazakhstan has made a pragmatic choice in our policies towards our regional neighbor. We rely on a model of “pragmatic engagement without recognition” and are developing an independent set of transport, energy, and humanitarian ties with that country. Kazakhstan’s decision to remove the Taliban from the list of banned organisations does not mean a rejection of the principles of international law or automatic recognition of the current Afghan regime. On the issue of official recognition, we rely on the decisions of the UN Security Council.
There is a clear understanding that only by involving Afghanistan in regional cooperation can common threats be effectively addressed, including cooperation in the fight against terrorism, illegal migration, and drug trafficking.
More broadly, there is a clear trend that has emerged in recent years: the growing role of Central Asia in Afghanistan’s foreign policy orientation. Not only have the countries of the region increased their engagement with Afghanistan, but the current Afghan authorities themselves increasingly view Central Asia as a “window to the world.”
As part of its efforts to diversify external relations, Kabul has significantly intensified cooperation with Central Asia. The countries of the region have become important sources of energy supplies and food products for Afghanistan. Today, approximately 18-20 percent of Afghanistan’s total imports originate from Central Asia, including 80-90 percent of its electricity supplies. Kazakh flour and other agricultural products have become important contributors to Afghanistan’s food security. It’s no coincidence that the total turnover of Central Asia with Afghanistan grew from 1 to 5 billion dollars in recent years.
It is important to recognize a fundamental reality. We may disagree with certain policies of the current Afghan authorities, including those related to girls’ education, the inclusiveness of governance, and other issues. The experience of recent decades, however, has demonstrated that any vacuum – whether economic, humanitarian, or institutional – is inevitably filled by destructive processes in Afghanistan.
Poverty, limited access to basic services, isolation from regional markets, and restricted educational opportunities create an environment in which the risks of radicalization and transnational instability increase significantly. In this context, humanitarian assistance and trade and economic cooperation should not be viewed as signs of leniency, but rather as practical instruments for preventing future threats and creating conditions for Afghanistan’s sustainable development.
Today, one of the biggest challenges for the Taliban is the shortage of skilled personnel. Almost immediately after coming to power, the Taliban faced issues of education and medicine, poverty alleviation, climate-related challenges. All these issues are included in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In this regard, the opening of the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty in 2025 could become the foundation for the work of Central Asian countries and Afghanistan using UN resources.
Kazakhstan’s experience, first in training 1,000 Afghans in peaceful professions alone, and then in educating scores of Afghan women in close collaboration and co-financing with the EU, will help to systematize work on the SDGs in relation to Afghanistan.
As the largest educational hub in the center of Eurasia, Kazakhstan is ready to continue training Afghan youth through scholarships in such sought-after fields as medicine, agriculture, and engineering.
Educational projects, not only higher education but also short-term courses, could form the basis for cooperation between Central Asian countries, where each country has its own area of expertise. For example, training Afghan water specialists at Taraz University of Water Management and Irrigation or in agriculture at universities in Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan.
Equally important is the ongoing humanitarian support for the Afghan people in difficult situations. Kazakhstan is known as a leader in Central Asia in terms of the volume of humanitarian aid provided. At least twice a year, at the request of the Afghan side, the Kazakh government provides humanitarian aid in the form of food, medicine, tents, warm clothing.
We continue along this path. Just over the weekend, we have brought more humanitarian aid to our Afghan neighbors, opened a center for research, training and innovation for water specialists at Kabul University, and launched the Medicine Days in Afghanistan with the participation of Kazakh specialists, including traumatologists, infectious disease experts, surgeons, and cardiologists.
Education and healthcare could become an important area of cooperation between Kazakhstan and European Union on Afghanistan. With the support of the EU, Kazakhstan could participate in the implementation of a range of healthcare projects in Afghanistan, including the construction of medical centers and the deployment of mobile medical units.
Mobile medical complexes could provide healthcare services to large segments of the population, including residents of remote provinces, through preventive examinations, diagnostics, and specialized medical assistance.
By investing in healthcare, the EU and Central Asian countries not only could address immediate humanitarian needs but also would strengthen human capital, resilience, and long-term stability in Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan’s policy toward Afghanistan is grounded in political realities. While it offers no quick solutions, it seeks to create conditions for long-term stability both for Afghanistan and for Central Asia as a whole. The core of the dialogue between Astana and Kabul lies in working with reality rather than with its convenient interpretations.
Caption of lead photo: Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin presents humanitarian aid to Afghan Acting Minister of Disaster Management Mohammad Abbas Akhund in Kabul on 20 June 2026 [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan]
Yerkin Tukumov on a recent visit to Afghanistan aboard a Kazakh Air Force C-295.
Updated: June 21, 2026 - 11:14
