Tokayev, the President, Heads to Ankara in Coming Week
In an effort to deepen their strategic partnership, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan made an official visit to Türkiye on July 29, 2022. The visit, which was at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, included the fifth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two nations.
The meeting, held in Ankara, aimed to expand trade, economic, investment, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation. Both leaders discussed increasing bilateral trade, with Kazakhstan prepared to supply products worth $1 billion to the Turkish market and efforts aimed at diversifying Turkish exports.
The discussions also covered the modernization of the defense industry, media cooperation, cultural initiatives, and strengthening economic ties, including energy, transportation, and technology sectors. A significant focus was placed on the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route), energy cooperation including oil exports via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and signing multiple new bilateral agreements spanning fields like foreign policy, investment, logistics, and defense.
The expected outcomes of the meeting were the signing of several new bilateral agreements (around 20), enhancing the legal and contractual framework between the countries by building on over 60 previous treaties. The agreements aimed to boost trade up to a target of $10 billion, increase cooperation in energy (including Turkish Petroleum’s intent to enter the Kazakh market), infrastructure development, and joint ventures in defense and media sectors.
Both presidents reaffirmed their commitment to elevating Kazakhstan-Turkey relations to a new strategic level rooted in shared historical and cultural ties. The meeting also aimed to strengthen cooperation on regional and global matters and improve connectivity via transport corridors.
The High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council serves as a platform for bilateral discussions between Kazakhstan and Turkey. The visit, reported by Akorda, the official residence and office of the President of Kazakhstan, signifies a significant event in the Kazakh-Turkish relationship. The negotiations in Ankara will focus on strengthening the Kazakh-Turkish strategic partnership.
- The high-level discussions in Ankara, during the visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Türkiye, encompassed policy-and-legislation matters, with plans to sign several new bilateral agreements that aim to boost trade up to $10 billion and increase cooperation in sectors like energy, infrastructure, defense, and media.
- In the scope of politics and general news, the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Turkey was reinforceed during President Tokayev's visit to Türkiye, where both leaders addressed significant regional and global issues, focusing on the importance of transport corridors to strengthen connectivity.
