Kazakhstan became one of the first member countries on US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace which was unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who reportedly received an invitation to join earlier this week, signed the charter on behalf of his country.
Tokayev agreed to join “this new association,” according to the president’s Assistant Press Secretary Ruslan Zheldibay.
“President Tokayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to making a meaningful contribution to achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, strengthening interstate trust, and global stability,” Zheldibay said in a press statement.
The board, which was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council late last year, was initially conceived as a mechanism to bring stability to post-war Gaza, but has since morphed into a broader conflict resolution platform.
Membership to the board is determined solely by its chairman, Donald Trump, who will retain this position even after he leaves the office. Until then, he will have two votes on the panel, one as chairman and one as US President.
One of membership requirements is a $1 billion dollar entrance fee for countries wishing to have a permanent seat, otherwise members will only be board members for three years.
It is unclear at this stage if Kazakhstan intends to pay the hefty sum, but it would almost certainly raise questions among its population, who have recently seen taxes raised by a new tax code which authorities say is necessary due to clampdown on a growing budgetary deficit.
The signing ceremony
Video footage from the signing ceremony shows Trump and Tokayev talking and laughing with the Kazakh president’s press service explaining that Tokayev drew Trump’s attention to the “365 wins in 365 days” document, which was disseminated during the Davos forum.
In that document, the 177th win is listed as Kazakhstan joining the Abraham Accords, which happened in November, during C5+1 meeting of Central Asian states with the US in Washington.
The Abraham Accords are a series of US-brokered agreements which see countries normalise relations with Israel.
“In addition, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wished the American leader success in pursuing a domestic policy of common sense,” Zheldibay added.
Tokayev often mentions Trump in public comments and compliments his policies in his speeches, including at the recent National Congress, which was mostly concerned with domestic issues.
“President Tokayev and President Trump have a very close relationship and they speak frequently,” US Ambassador to Kazakhstan Julie M. Stufft said when she presented her credentials in Astana on 9 January.
