Erdoğan heads to Kazakhstan for talks with Tokayev, Turkic states summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will travel to Kazakhstan on May 13 for official talks and to attend a summit of Turkic states.

Erdoğan will begin his visit in the capital Astana, where he is due to hold a one-on-one meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Independence Palace, followed by a meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which he is expected to chair, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

The discussions are set to cover the full scope of bilateral relations under the two countries’ “enhanced strategic partnership”, with a focus on strengthening political, economic and energy ties.

Trade expansion will feature prominently on the agenda, with Ankara and Astana aiming to raise bilateral trade volume to $15 billion. A series of cooperation agreements in various sectors are expected to be signed during the visit. Erdoğan and Tokayev are also expected to attend a Türkiye-Kazakhstan business forum alongside representatives from both countries.

After concluding his engagements in Astana, Erdoğan will travel to Turkistan, described by officials as a symbolic centre of the Turkic world, to attend an informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS).

He is expected to deliver a keynote address on regional and global developments, including the situation in the Middle East, and hold bilateral meetings with participating heads of state and government.

By Aghakazim Guliyev