The joint statement, issued by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Kassym-Jomart K. Tokayev of Kazakhstan on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Türkiye-Kazakhstan relations, highlights cooperation in a variety of fields, including bilateral trade, the defence industry, counterterrorism, logistics, education, agriculture, and forestry.
Following yesterday's meetings at the Akorda Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital, under the chairmanship of President Erdoğan and President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, a joint statement was issued on the occasion of the 30thanniversary of the establishment of Türkiye-Kazakhstan relations.
The statement notes that President Erdoğan paid an official visit to Kazakhstan on October 12-13, 2022, at the invitation of President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, and that the fourth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council held in this context is a significant step toward enhancing cooperation between the countries.
The statement, through which the Presidents expressed their belief that this visit would contribute to the further consolidation of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two countries, emphasised the significance of maintaining the political dialogue between the states via mutual visits and meetings on multiple levels. The statement also highlights that the meetings were conducted in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and friendliness.
The statement indicates that within the framework of the meetings, the parties discussed the possibility of furthering bilateral cooperation and exchanged opinions on current regional and international issues, adding:
"The parties have underlined that on March 2, 2022, Türkiye and Kazakhstan marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations and express their satisfaction with the pace of development of friendly and brotherly relations based on a shared history, language, and culture, as well as close political dialogue and multifaceted cooperation over the past three decades. They have affirmed that the Friendship and Cooperation Treaty between the Republic of Türkiye and the Republic of Kazakhstan, dated October 17, 1994, and the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Republic of Türkiye and the Republic of Kazakhstan, dated October 22, 2009, play a significant role in strengthening and advancing the comprehensive interaction between the two countries. Moreover, they have emphasised that the documents regulating all fields of interstate cooperation between Türkiye and Kazakhstan constitute a comprehensive contractual basis."
Bilateral trade
The statement, which points out that Türkiye was Kazakhstan's fifth largest trading partner in 2021 and expresses satisfaction with the steady increase in bilateral trade volume, includes, "The Presidents have stated that necessary measures should be taken to increase the trade volume to 10 billion dollars in a balanced manner in the upcoming years. The Presidents have expressed their satisfaction with the 12th meeting of the Kazakh-Turkish Intergovernmental Economic Commission held in Astana on March 4, 2022, and underlined the significance of implementing the Action Plan signed at the end of the meeting."
The statement, which notes that the Presidents support the increase of freight transportation through the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor and have agreed to further develop cooperation in the field of transportation and logistics, expresses the following:
"The Presidents have highlighted the importance of boosting coordination efforts between relevant institutions in order to efficiently utilise the Trans-Caspian route and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route. They have expressed their satisfaction with the rapid development of human and cultural relations based on mutual friendship and brotherhood, which is an essential dimension of the two countries' strategic partnership.
The parties have agreed to strengthen the cooperation in the field of the defence industry and, in this regard, to evaluate and implement a variety of cooperation opportunities, particularly the issue of joint operation. They have agreed to fight resolutely against all types of terrorism and extremism, to strengthen the fight against all structures that pose a threat to the national security of the two countries, and to enhance cooperation through dialogue mechanisms in the fields of defence and security."
Developing cooperation in education
The statement expresses, "The Presidents have stressed the significance of providing the necessary support for the Turkish Maarif Foundation to launch its activities in Kazakhstan in order to develop cooperation in the field of education" and that the Presidents have emphasised their willingness to continue their bilateral cooperation in the fields of environment and forestry.
With the statement, it is agreed to further the cooperation and coordination in the fields of media and information both bilaterally and with the Turkic world, and the creation of the Turkic News Agencies Union is welcomed.
The statement confirms the commitment to cooperate in pursuit of the objectives of global and regional stability, peace and prosperity, to provide coordination with the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) and other international organisations, as well as multilateral platforms, and to mutually support proposed resolutions, initiatives, and candidacies within international organisations whenever possible, and adds:
"The Presidents have exchanged views on global matters of mutual importance and affirmed that their stances are aligned on current issues on the international agenda. They have agreed to maintain mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of international and regional organisations such as the UN, OSCE, CICA, ECO, OIC, and OTS. They have eagerly noted the progress made between the two nations since the inception of OTS, TURKSOY, TurkPA, and the Turkic Academy and emphasised their commitment to act jointly and in coordination within the Turkic world, and to protect the values and interests of the Turkic world in the regional and international arena.
The Presidents have declared their intention to progressively implement the initiative of the Chairmanship of Kazakhstan to transform the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) into a full-fledged organisation and to jointly develop this organisation's potential. They have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation by implementing joint projects in the field of human resources to promote the professional development of youth and public employees. They have reaffirmed their commitment to advance the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between Türkiye and Kazakhstan and to strengthen the cooperation that would contribute to regional peace and stability."