Tevfik Arif talks about post-Soviet Kazakhstan and Donald Trump’s interest in the country

Tevfik Arif is known for his real estate business, the Bayrock Group, and his past work with Donald Trump. But before he thrived in the United States, Tevfik Arif went through a long path and business ventures.

Arif's journey started in Soviet Kazakhstan, where he was born in 1953 to Turkish parents. He lived in the country for forty years, until 1993. After that, he relocated to Turkey and founded an all-inclusive hotel empire. Only after that, eight years later, he moved to New York City, founded the Bayrock Group, and built the legendary Trump Soho.

In this article, Tevfik Arif explains how his life in Kazakhstan was and how the country changed after its independence from the Soviet Union.

Tevfik Arif explains the changes in Kazakhstan after its independence from the Soviet Union

Kazakhstan declared independence from USSR on December 16, 1991, and Tevfik Arif was there to witness it. After its independence, Kazakhstan experienced significant economic, social, political, and technological development. The leaders of Kazakhstan developed befitting relations with the West.

Kazakhstan's economy overtook Central Asia's in the 1990s with the discovery of huge new oil reserves. That offered significant opportunities for investment in the country to the world and neighboring countries. Western oil firms intensified oil and natural gas production in Kazakhstan despite internal authoritarianism.

Kazakhstan supported anti-terrorism actions in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Kazakhstan's energy supply, national security, and dependence on Russian technicians kept it close to Russia in the post-Soviet period. However, Nazarbayev, the president at that time, desired deeper ties with the West. In the mid-1990s, Russia was Kazakhstan's principal economic and security supporter, but Nazarbayev also supported developing international relations.

The country developed security, economic, and political relations with China and the United States. The rising investment of China in Kazakhstan raised concern from the United States. Therefore, this country in Central Asia holds immense economic and political importance in the region

The opportunities in Kazakhstan for Tevfik Arif after the fall of the Soviet Union

The collapse of the Soviet Union presented millions of people in today's Russia and surrounding countries with unprecedented opportunities.

Tevfik Arif studied international economics at the Moscow Institute of Trade & Economics. After leaving university, Arif served as chief economist and deputy head of the Hotel Management Department at the Soviet Ministry of Commerce & Trade.

In the Soviet Union, there were only a limited number of jobs in the private sector. However, that changed in Kazakhstan after its independence from USSR in 1991. The people from Kazakhstan were introduced to a new world behind the Iron Curtain.

Tevfik Arif seized the new and unexplored opportunities that came with the fall of the union. He quit his government job and moved to the private sector.

He opened several businesses in the fields of food, automobiles, imports and exports, luxury real estate development, and natural resources.

Tevfik Arif's many start-ups in various sectors gave him an extensive domestic and international network. In 1993, he moved to Turkey to explore new business paths.

Independent Kazakhstan's relationship with the West: Donald Trump's efforts to strengthen relationships with Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan-U.S. ties improved during the 1990s. Since its independence from the Soviet Union, the U.S. developed good relations with Kazakhstan.

It is noteworthy that no U.S. president had ever visited Kazakhstan. However, both countries have been actively engaged in economic and political cooperation.

The U.S. established connections with the newly independent republics in the early 1990s. After a few years, that interest from the U.S. faded. However, 9/11 changed this. The terrorist strikes forced the U.S. to restore ties with the area. U.S. anti-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan relied on Central Asia for years, including Kazakhstan.

After President Barack Obama halted U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan, Central Asia participation declined again.

A significant milestone for the countries’ relationship was Donald Trump's efforts in strengthening ties with Kazakhstan. In January 2018, President Trump met with former Kazakhstani leader Nursultan Nazarbayev in Washington. In late 2019, Trump met with current president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Trump used Nazarbayev's and Tokayev's visits to the White House to show America's geopolitical, security, and economic interests in Kazakhstan.

Due to its strategic location, Trump knew that Kazakhstan was a great potential ally. It also holds a balancing power among central Asian countries. The rivalry between the United States and Russia has increased Kazakhstan's political, economic, and strategic importance.

It is also essential from the perspective of national security to the United States owing to its withdrawal from Afghanistan, one of Kazakhstan's crucial neighbors.

Donald Trump was criticized for his business deals with Kazakhstani businessman Tevfik Arif and his ties with the leaders of Kazakhstan. But time and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have proven that that was a wise strategic move from the United Estates.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes