Kazakh president in Ankara for talks with Erdoğan
ANKARA
Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Ankara on July 28 for a two-day visit to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and hold the fifth meeting of the high-level strategic cooperation council between the two countries.
The talks at the presidential complex were expected to assess the progress of the "enhanced strategic partnership" between the two countries and steps toward deepening it, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.
Views were also set to be exchanged on current global and regional issues. The delegations were to sign numerous documents that would strengthen the contractual basis of relations between the two countries.
Türkiye was the first country to recognize Kazakhstan's independence on Dec. 16, 1991. Tokayev has met Erdoğan 14 times since 2019, most recently at the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit in Budapest on May 21.
Türkiye is one of Kazakhstan's top five trading partners and among its largest foreign investors. Both countries aim to raise bilateral trade to $10 billion. Despite regional and global headwinds, trade between the two nations reached nearly $5 billion in 2024.
The high-level strategic cooperation council, established in 2012, serves as the central mechanism for high-level bilateral decisions. At its fourth meeting in 2022, Kazakhstan and Türkiye reached agreements on foreign policy, investment, energy, logistics and defense.
This year's fifth session in Ankara was expected to cover an even broader range of topics. Key agenda items include the Middle Corridor, modernization of the defense industry, media cooperation and cultural initiatives.
