Kazakhstan prepares for Erdoğan visit, Turkic States informal summit

Kazakhstan is preparing for an upcoming state visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as an informal summit of leaders of the member states of the Organisation of Turkic States.

At the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Erdoğan will pay a state visit to Astana on May 13–14, Caliber.Az reports, citing Kazakh media.

The presidents of Kazakhstan and Türkiye are expected to discuss the current state and prospects of bilateral relations.

Tokayev and Erdoğan will also co-chair the sixth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between Kazakhstan and Türkiye.

An informal summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) will take place on May 15 in Turkistan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic world, under Kazakhstan’s chairmanship.

The event will be held under the theme “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.”

Heads of state and government from member and observer countries will take part.

The OTS includes five member states — Uzbekistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — as well as observer states Turkmenistan and Hungary.

As part of the official programme, a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OTS will be held on the eve of the summit of heads of state.

For the duration of the summit, additional police units from the Almaty, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda regions, and the city of Shymkent have been deployed to Turkistan to maintain public order.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov