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Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Türkiye on Tuesday is expected to open a new chapter in bilateral relations as the two countries mark the 33rd anniversary of diplomatic ties.
At the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev arrived in Türkiye for an official visit. The two leaders will meet at the Presidential Complex in Ankara to discuss strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership.
The two leaders will co-chair the fifth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, where new goals in sectors such as transport via the Middle Corridor, energy, defense, trade, agriculture, media, and cultural cooperation will be discussed.
A number of agreements are expected to be signed to reinforce the legal and institutional framework of Türkiye-Kazakhstan relations.
Türkiye was the first country to recognize Kazakhstan’s independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Formal diplomatic relations were established on March 2, 1992, and the same year, Kazakhstan opened its embassy in Ankara.
Currently, Türkiye maintains an embassy in Astana and consulates in Almaty, Aktau, and Turkistan, as well as an honorary consulate in Shymkent. Kazakhstan operates its embassy in Ankara and has consulates in Istanbul, Antalya, and Izmir, with honorary consulates in cities including Denizli, Alanya, Bursa, Bitlis, Hatay, Konya, and Mersin.
The relationship was elevated to a “Strategic Partnership” in 2009 and further upgraded in 2022 to an “Enhanced Strategic Partnership.”
Since independence, more than 20 official presidential visits from Kazakhstan to Türkiye have taken place. President Tokayev, elected in 2019, has held 14 bilateral meetings with President Erdogan.
Both countries are founding members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and cooperate actively within Turkic institutions such as TURKPA, the Turkic Academy, TURKSOY, and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.
Türkiye and Kazakhstan also maintain bilateral and multilateral cooperation through platforms like the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
Despite global economic uncertainty, Türkiye-Kazakhstan trade has continued to grow. In 2024, bilateral trade volume reached $5 billion. According to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Trade and Integration, trade in the first five months of this year exceeded $1.9 billion.
Türkiye remains one of Kazakhstan’s top investors. Between 2005 and 2024, Türkiye invested $5.2 billion in Kazakhstan. Currently, 3,538 Turkish-capital companies operate in the country.
Seventy-eight joint investment projects between the two nations have been launched to date.
More than 12,000 Kazakh students are currently pursuing higher education in Türkiye, with an additional 300 students awarded Türkiye Scholarships for the 2024–2025 academic year.
Türkiye is also a top international destination for Kazakh tourists. In 2023, 863,000 Kazakh tourists visited Türkiye, while 130,000 Turkish tourists traveled to Kazakhstan.
In a bid to boost tourism and investment, Kazakhstan recently extended the visa-free stay for Turkish citizens from 30 to 90 days.
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