Türkiye and Kazakhstan signed 20 cooperation agreements in various sectors during Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Ankara today. The most significant of these were in the areas of defence, energy, transportation, and technology. The agreements also envisage more oil from Kazakhstan reaching global markets via Türkiye.
The parties also reviewed the prospects for investment in the transport infrastructure of the "Middle Corridor," often known as the "Silk Road." One of the largest railway projects in which Türkiye is involved was mentioned as an example. This project aims to significantly reduce the transportation costs for goods shipped from Central Asia and China to Europe.
Speaking at the ceremony broadcast live on social media, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye described Kazakhstan as Türkiye's largest partner in Central Asia.
"Kazakhstan is the largest economy in the region and our biggest trade partner. We aim for the trade volume between the two countries to reach 15 billion dollars. Türkiye's investments in Kazakhstan have reached 5 billion dollars, while Kazakhstan's investments in Türkiye have reached 1.5 billion dollars. The companies of the two countries have carried out approximately 500 projects worth 30 billion dollars," said Erdoğan.
The Kazakh delegation also attended the fifth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council, which was established in 2012.