Speaking at a joint press conference with President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, President Erdoğan said: “The significance of the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor, today’s equivalent of the Silk Road, is better understood each passing day. We, together with Kazakhstan and our other partners, will continue to promote this corridor for the transportation of energy resources to the West, not just for goods shipment.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Kassym-Jomart K. Tokayev of Kazakhstan held a joint press conference following their tête-à-tête and the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council at the Palace of Independence in Astana.
Stating that that have signed various documents at the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, President Erdoğan said: “We have thoroughly addressed our cooperation in such areas as trade, transportation, energy, healthcare, mining, culture, education, technology and defense industry during our meeting with Mr. Tokayev and his delegation. We continue to urge our business world to increase their investments in Kazakhstan and to build ties that will consolidate our partnership. We will inshallah witness new cooperations between our businesspeople on the occasion of the Turkish-Kazakh Business Forum, which we will address together with Mr. Tokayev.”
“We want to transport much more oil from Kazakhstan to world markets”
Drawing attention to Kazakhstan’s special place in the steps Türkiye has been taking in recent years regarding resource diversity in energy, President Erdoğan went on to say: “We want to transport much more oil from Kazakhstan, one of the leading crude oil exporters, to world markets via our country. The significance of the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor, today’s equivalent of the Silk Road, is better understood each passing day. We, together with Kazakhstan and our other partners, will continue to promote this corridor for the transportation of energy resources to the West, not just for goods shipment.”
“With the maxim of unity in language, opinion and work, we are determined to build new bridges in our geography from the East Mediterranean to the depths of the Central Asia,” President Erdoğan noted, voicing his pleasure over the works the Turkish Maarif Foundation has launched to open two schools, one in Astana and one in Almaty, with the support of President Tokayev of Kazakhstan.
“We have always felt the material and moral support of Kazakhstan”
Stressing that they as the 86 million witnessed the ties of affection between Türkiye and Kazakhstan immediately after the February 6 earthquakes, President Erdoğan continued as follows: “We always felt the material and moral support of our Kazakh brothers and sisters and the Kazakh state during that trying period. And today, I am very glad that I, together with my august brother, will inaugurate the elementary school Kazakhstan has built in the Nurdağı district of Gaziantep. I wholeheartedly believe that our children, who will study at that school, which we have named after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the sage of Turkistan, will carry our friendship to next generations.”
Also touching upon the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) that will be held the following day in Turkistan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic world, President Erdoğan voiced his pleasure over the representation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an observer at the Summit.
President Erdoğan decorated with order of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
President Erdoğan was presented with the Order of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi by President Tokayev of Kazakhstan.
“I see and accept this order as a great affection towards the Republic of Türkiye and our nation. On this occasion, I thank you, my treasured brother, for the leadership you have displayed in the brotherhood between our countries reaching its current level,” President Erdoğan noted.
Later on, President Erdoğan and President Tokayev of Kazakhstan inaugurated the Hoca Ahmet Yesevi Elementary School built by Kazakhstan in the Nurdağı district of Gaziantep after the February 6 earthquakes.