Türkiye eyes advancing its economic cooperation with Kazakhstan in all areas, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said on Wednesday during the visit to Astana, where he attended several high-level meetings and business talks.
"Kazakhstan's growth last year was roughly double that of the global growth. While the world grew by about 3%, Kazakhstan grew by 6.5%. Hopefully, with these growth rates, Kazakhstan will rise to a much different position in the world. We will develop our cooperation with Kazakhstan in every field," he said during a roundtable meeting also attended by Kazakh Prime Minister Oljas Bektenov.
Speaking here, Yılmaz underscored that relations between Türkiye and Kazakhstan are based on a multifaceted foundation of brotherhood, nourished by deep historical ties and a shared civilizational memory.
He also suggested that despite all the geopolitical tensions and the circle of fire in the region encountered in recent years, Türkiye continues on its path of being "an island of stability and a safe haven."
Referring to the growth of the Turkish economy, he also touched upon the investment potential, calling on both sides and the private sector to evaluate further investment opportunities to excel in trade.
"There are over $2 billion in investments from Kazakhstan to Türkiye, and nearly a thousand Kazakh companies have invested in Türkiye. We need to further increase the number, quantity, and quality of these investments so that the infrastructure of our trade is strengthened," he said, according to remarks published by Anadolu Agency (AA).
"The more these investments increase, the healthier and stronger our trade will be. In this sense, we invite mutual investment. We invite the Turkish business world to invest more in Kazakhstan, and the Kazakh business world to invest more in Türkiye. We wholeheartedly believe that we will all benefit," he added.
Moreover, while in Astana, Yılmaz held a one-on-one meeting with Bektenov and inter-delegation meetings.
After the meetings, under the chairpersonship of Yılmaz and Bektenov, the 14th Session of the Kazakhstan-Türkiye Joint Economic Commission (KEK) Inter-Delegation Meeting was held.
Following the meeting, the 14th Session KEK Protocol and a 67-item action plan were signed.
"To further consolidate this strategic partnership, we will hold the 6th Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in May," Yılmaz noted.
He also expressed that bilateral relations have "evolved beyond sympathy and have turned into a multidimensional cooperation architecture in areas such as trade, investment, transportation, energy, contracting, industry, agriculture, logistics and finance."
Here, too, he highlighted the belief that two respective "growing economies need to cooperate more."
"Our foreign trade reached $10 billion last year, renewing a record. Our goal is to achieve the $15 billion trade volume set by our presidents. At this point, accelerating customs and logistics processes is one of our top priorities. In addition, increasing our mutual investments is extremely important," he suggested.
Among others, he also pointed to the appeal in the finance sector and said that the Istanbul Financial Center (IFC), established on the way to making Türkiye first a regional and then a global financial center and opened in 2023, stands out with its strong legal infrastructure and tax advantages.
"Taking into account the recent developments in our region, we are working on new initiatives during this period. In the upcoming period, we will take steps to make Türkiye a much more attractive country in terms of finance. We aim to make Istanbul a stronger financial center," he said.
Also, evaluating the work of the Turkish contractors abroad, Yılmaz mentioned the disruptions in supply chains and described the Middle Corridor route as "a mandatory choice."
"The Northern Corridor has become unpredictable due to geopolitical tensions. The southern route is pushing the limits of its capacity. This situation has made the Middle Corridor not an alternative but a mandatory choice, with Türkiye and Kazakhstan at the center of this route," he said.
The Middle Corridor is a long route stretching from China toward Europe via roads and railways, bypassing the conflict-ridden areas.
"In this sense, the Middle Corridor is a line that will carry not only the load of two countries but also of all Eurasia, and the stronger this line is, the more permanent the jointly built prosperity on this line will be," according to Yılmaz.
The vice president also highlighted the potential in the energy sector, as well as strong education and cultural ties between the two countries.
