Reception of the Declarations of the Third Basket of the Helsinki Final Act in the Context of International Cooperation between Poland and Kazakhstan (1992–2022)

Abstract

In the third decade of the 21st century, the policy orientations of many countries are increasingly shaped by human and civil rights issues. Regardless of geographical location, the reception of civil rights poses significant challenges, including security implications arising from each country’s internal sovereignty. This premise applies to two countries under analysis – Poland and Kazakhstan – which have shared a special bond despite their geographical and cultural differences since the 20th century. This bond is evidenced by their deepening economic, political and especially human rights cooperation. This study focuses on the third basket of the CSCE Final Act as a starting point, exploring Polish-Kazakh cooperation in people-to-people contacts, information exchange, cultural cooperation, and education from 1991 to 2022. By analyzing the Helsinki provisions on human rights protection, the narrative illustrates the practical dimensions of interstate cooperation between Poland and Kazakhstan. The authors constructed a matrix of examples of this cooperation, demonstrating both countries’ commitment to fostering close relations and trust, which are crucial in confronting the challenges of the modern world.