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As part of the information project of the Library of Elbassy "Kazakhstan Way: Foreign Policy", dedicated to the history of diplomatic relations of Kazakhstan with other countries, global ideas and initiatives of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, we present an article on the topic "Symbol of brotherhood and friendship: the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Kazakhstan".
The Republic of Turkey was the first country in the world to recognize the state independence of Kazakhstan on December 16, 1991, immediately after the signing of the Constitutional Law "On the State Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" by the First President of the country, Nursultan Nazarbayev. For the young Kazakh state, it became a symbol of brotherhood and friendship on the part of Turkey and was an important moral support.
On April 21, 1992, the first Ambassador of Turkey to Kazakhstan, Argun Ozpay, presented his credentials to the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Turkey became the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Kazakhstan and the Turkish diplomatic mission became the first foreign representation in the history of independent Kazakhstan.
Since then, the development of comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with Ankara has become one of the priorities of the foreign policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Today, Kazakhstan and Turkey actively cooperate in political, trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian, military and other spheres.
The authority and personality of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan-Elbassy Nursultan Nazarbayev played a special role in the beneficial development of Kazakh - Turkish relations in the spirit of friendship and strategic partnership. The consistent promotion of productive and dynamic cooperation between the two Turkic countries in all spheres from economy to politics is largely due to strong support at the highest level.
Kazakhstan and Turkey have established effective cooperation. The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbassy and the heads of the Republic of Turkey met regularly both on the sidelines of various international events and summits, as well as in the framework of mutual visits. The history of the development of Kazakh-Turkish interstate relations has shown that the heads of state support each other's initiatives in the international arena and make joint efforts to deepen the common Turkic integration.
Kazakhstan and Turkey have gone from forming the foundations of bilateral interstate relations to a real strategic partnership. In fact, the two countries play a key role in the transformation of relations in the Eurasian space, as evidenced by the consistent and fruitful Kazakh-Turkish cooperation.
Mutual visits of the heads of state have expanded and strengthened the framework of economic, political, and ethno-cultural relations. They have become a true indicator of the achievement of a high level of interstate relations based on the mutual will and political dialogue at the highest level and evidence of the growing friendship, brotherhood, the cultural and historical community between countries and peoples.
Kazakhstan and Turkey are actively developing political cooperation within the framework of international organizations: the UN, the Organization for Economic Cooperation (ECO), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the OSCE, the CICA, and the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states.
The history of trade and economic relations between the two countries is also characterized by dynamic development and mutual interest. Today, Turkey is one of the largest economic partners of Kazakhstan. Turkey entered the top eight countries, trade with which has reached a new level - in 2019, there was an increase in the volume of mutual trade by 65 % compared to 2018. Trade between Kazakhstan and Turkey increased from $30 million in 1992 to $3.1 billion at the end of 2019. In the course of the visit of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. A. Nazarbayev to Turkey in October 2018, the leaders of the two countries declared their readiness to increase the volume of mutual trade turnover to $ 5 billion in the short term and to $ 10 billion in the long term.
Turkey is second only to Russia in establishing joint companies and enterprises with foreign participation in Kazakhstan. More than 2,000 companies with Turkish capital work in our country. Every tenth foreign enterprise in Kazakhstan is Turkish. To date, 79 projects worth $5.3 billion are being implemented with the participation of Turkish investors. Turkish investments are present in various sectors of the economy of Kazakhstan: construction, telecommunications, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, food processing, industrial projects.
Nursultan Nazarbayev is the initiator and ideological leader of modern Turkic integration processes. A number of international organizations in the fold of the Turkic world were created thanks to the activities of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - the Turkic Council, TURKSOY, the Turkic Academy, the Foundation of Turkic Culture and Heritage.
In 1993, Nursultan Nazarbayev initiated the creation of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) with the aim of reviving cultural, humanitarian and spiritual ties between the Turkic-speaking peoples and popularizing Turkic culture at a high international level. Today, all independent Turkic-speaking states are members of TURKSOY: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The observers are the Altai Republic (RF), Bashkiria (RF), the Autonomous Republic of Gagauzia (Moldova), the Republic of Khakassia (RF), the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Republic of Sakha (RF), Tataria (RF) and Tuva (RF).
One of the significant initiatives of TURKSOY is the nomination for the prestigious title "Cultural Capital of the Turkic World". The cities that were awarded this honorary title in different years have become a meeting place for the cultures of the Turkic peoples. The TURKSOY Council chose the capital of Kazakhstan - Astana - as the first cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2012. The city of the great sufi Khoja Ahmed Yasawi - Kazakhstan's Turkestan - was declared the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2017.
The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan made an invaluable contribution to the development of the international parliamentary dimension of the Turkic-speaking states. In 2008, on the initiative of Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking states (TURKPA) was created, whose members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
In 2019, the efforts of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to integrate Turkic-speaking states were appreciated - the leaders of the states of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states (CCTS or Turkic Council) awarded Elbassy the honorary title of life-long chairman of the Turkic Council for his significant contribution to the development of the Turkic world. It should be noted that the idea of creating the CCTS, which included Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, and later Uzbekistan, was first expressed by Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2006. Elbassy has participated in all the summits of the heads of state of the Turkic Council since the beginning of the Organization.
Turkey supported the candidacy of Kazakhstan for the world specialized exhibition "Expo-2017", and also supported Kazakhstan as a candidate for non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Interaction in the field of culture is one of the most important and qualitative indicators of the level of interstate relations. Cultural cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkey is quite intense for countries that do not have a common border. The historical ties of the Kazakh and Turkish peoples go back centuries. Relations between the two countries are based on a common history and spiritual wealth. The two countries have related languages and similar culture, common values and worldview.
There are two joint universities in Kazakhstan - named after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan and named after Suleiman Demirel in the Almaty region. There is a network of Kazakh-Turkish lyceums. Thousands of students from Kazakhstan study in Turkish institutions of higher education on the basis of educational grants granted by the Turkish side. The Turkic Academy and the Eurasian Scientific Institute at Khoja Ahmed Yassavi University are engaged in humanitarian research.
In order to strengthen the bridge of friendship between Kazakhstan and Turkey, in March 2010, in the capital of Kazakhstan, the Center for Turkish Culture named after Yunus Emre, the founder of Turkish versification and a great poet, who had a huge influence on Turkish literature, was opened. In 2016, a monument to the Kazakh poet Suyunbay Aronuly was opened in Ankara, an alley named after kuishi Tattimbet Kazangapuly and a park named after kuishi Dina Nurpeisova appeared.
In 2017, a street in Ankara was named in honor of the great Kazakh zhyrau Zhambyl Zhabayev. In 2018, a monument to Magzhan Zhumabayev was unveiled in Ankara, and a school in Istanbul was named after Abai Kunanbayev.
In gratitude for the contribution to the revival and unification of the Turkic world, a monument to Nursultan Nazarbayev was opened in Ankara in 2010. Earlier, in Turkey, there was no precedent for a monument to be installed to a foreign politician - the leader of a foreign state. This is a unique case that testifies to the highest authority of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbassy Nursultan Nazarbayev in the Republic of Turkey. In turn, Kazakhstan erected a monument to the reformer and founder of the modern Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Astana. This is the first monument to Ataturk outside Turkey.
The Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Turkey make a significant contribution to the development of the dialogue of Turkic civilizations and to building a system of collective security in the Eurasian space. Cooperation between the two states is a clear example of the spiritual closeness of countries and their peoples. Turkey and Kazakhstan are the two Turkic wings of Eurasia. And, if Kazakhstan is the window of the Turkic world to the east, Turkey is to the west, and close cooperation between the two Turkic-speaking countries is inevitable.
Sources:
"Kazakhstan is a great country where there is mutual respect of cultures, languages and religions living under a single shanyrak" - head of the Turkish Cultural Center Mehmet Arslan // https://www.inform.kz/ru/kazahstan-velikaya-strana-gde-carit-vzaimouvazhenie-kul-tur-yazykov-i-religiy-zhivuschih-pod-edinym-shanyrakom-rukovoditel-tureckogo-kul-turnogo-centra-mehmet-arslan_a2375963
Architect of Turkic Integration // https://liter.kz/8790-arhitektor-tyurkskoy-integratsii/
Bilateral relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan // http://www.ahiska-gazeta.com/ru/pages/314.html
Infographics - Turkey and Kazakhstan: 28 years of friendship // https://www.aa.com.tr
Official trade and economic mission of Kazakhstan in Istanbul // http://businessmir.kz/2019/08/07/ofitsialnaya-torgovo-ekonomicheskaya-missiya-kazahstana-v-stambule/
Recognition of independence is the first step to the establishment of international relations // https://www.inform.kz/ru/priznanie-nezavisimosti-pervyy-shag-k-ustanovleniyu-mezhdunarodnyh-otnosheniy_a2427511
Recognition of independence, the monument to Nazarbayev and Kazakh schools: Turkey's attitude to Kazakhstan // https://ztb.kz/obsestvo/priznanie-nezavisimosti-pamatnik-nazarbaevu-i-kazahskie-skoly-otnosenie-turcii-k-kazahstanu
Turkey and Kazakhstan – two Turkic wings of Eurasia // http://www.investkz.com/journals/46/165.html
Shibutov M. "Soft power" of Turkey: the current state of Kazakh-Turkish relations // https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2440405.html