President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was welcomed with an official ceremony by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, on Thursday during an official visit to the Central Asian country.
Erdoğan's motorcade traveled along a route decorated with Turkish and Kazakh flags before arriving at the Independence Palace, where Tokayev greeted him.
After the introduction of delegations, the two leaders posed for photographs before holding one-on-one talks.
Later, Erdoğan is expected to co-chair the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council with Tokayev.
The two presidents are also scheduled to attend a signing ceremony for bilateral agreements and hold a joint news conference.
The talks are expected to focus heavily on transport and energy cooperation across Central Asia and the Caspian region, areas that have gained increasing importance following geopolitical shifts triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Officials from both countries are expected to discuss the development of the so-called Middle Corridor, a trade route connecting China and Europe through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus and Türkiye.
Several senior Turkish officials attended the ceremony, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran.
After completing his meetings in Astana, Erdoğan is scheduled to travel to the southern Kazakh city of Turkistan to attend the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Friday.
‘Century of Turkic World’
Speaking after talks with Tokayev during the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Astana, Erdoğan said the two countries agreed on steps to strengthen the institutional framework of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
"We are in agreement on providing opportunities that will strengthen our organization institutionally,” Erdoğan said. "Hopefully, we will make the coming period the 'Century of the Turkic World' together.”
Erdoğan noted that discussions with Tokayev covered trade, energy, transportation, defense industry cooperation and global issues.
The Turkish leader also congratulated the Kazakh people on Defender of the Fatherland Day and Victory Day, and expressed hope that Kazakhstan’s new Constitution, approved in a March 15 referendum, would benefit the country.
Following bilateral talks in Astana, Tokayev awarded Erdoğan the newly established "Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Medal.”
Erdoğan became the first recipient of the award, which Tokayev announced on April 10 to honor contributions to cooperation among Turkic nations and shared cultural heritage.
Speaking during the ceremony, Erdoğan said he was honored to receive the medal named after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the influential 12th-century Turkic poet and Sufi philosopher.
"I see and accept this medal as a sign of high regard for the Republic of Türkiye and our nation,” Erdoğan said, thanking Tokayev for his leadership in advancing ties between the two countries.
The two leaders also attended the opening ceremony of the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Primary School, built by Kazakhstan in the Nurdağı district of Türkiye’s Gaziantep province after the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes in 2023.