At President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s request, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev traveled to Turkey on Tuesday in a visit that is expected to strengthen relations between two long-standing allies. The visit coincides with the 33rd anniversary of Kazakhstan and Turkey’s diplomatic ties, a milestone that both presidents are exploiting as a springboard for increased collaboration in a variety of fields.
The fifth meeting of the Turkey-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council will be co-chaired by Presidents Tokayev and Erdogan in the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
Many new agreements to improve cooperation in transportation, energy, defense, agriculture, media, trade, and cultural exchange are anticipated to come out of the meeting. Additionally, the leaders will concentrate on improving connection via the Middle Corridor, often known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkey was the first nation to acknowledge Kazakhstan’s independence. In 1992, formal diplomatic relations were established, and since then, they have gradually improved. In 2009, the collaboration was promoted to a Strategic Partnership, and in 2022, it was further promoted to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership.
With almost 20 formal presidential trips from Kazakhstan to Turkey, the two countries have maintained close political and economic connections throughout the years. Since Tokayev assumed office in 2019, he and Erdogan have met 14 times. Both nations actively participate in organizations such as TURKPA, TURKSOY, and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, among others, and are founding members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
One of the relationship’s fundamental pillars is still economic collaboration. Trade between Kazakhstan and Turkey has remained strong despite the turmoil in the world economy. In 2024, the volume of bilateral trade surpassed $5 billion, with over $1.9 billion being traded in only the first five months.
With $5.2 billion spent between 2005 and 2024, Turkey is also one of the largest foreign investors in Kazakhstan. There are currently around 3,500 Turkish-capital businesses operating in Kazakhstan, and 78 collaborative investment projects have been started so far.
Relationships between people are also flourishing. For the 2024–2025 academic year, 300 scholarships were given out, and over 12,000 Kazakh students are currently enrolled in Turkish universities.
Additionally, tourism is booming: in 2023, 130,000 Turks came to Kazakhstan, and 863,000 Kazakh visitors visited Turkey. Kazakhstan has increased the duration of its visa-free stay for Turkish nationals from 30 to 90 days in an effort to promote even more tourism and business.
Tokayev’s visit represents a fresh dedication to a future based on mutual trust, collaboration, and strategic objectives.
