An expert said that significant opportunities have been emerging for the Turkic world amid the shift of the axis of global politics and economy.
In terms of establishing identity and consciousness, the Turkic world is currently undergoing significant transformations, according to Darkhan Kydyrali, the president of the International Turkic Academy in Kazakhstan.
In a speech at ANKASAM, a Turkish think-tank in the capital Ankara, he said Turkic people living in vast geography from Lake Baikal to the Balkans are increasingly becoming aware that they are part of the great historical Turkic civilization.
Kydyrali underlined that this state of affairs developed gradually over the last 30 years, with Turkey making a significant contribution.
During the initial stage, from 1992 to 1998, cultural ties between Turkey and the Turkic states in Central Asia were restored.
Scholarships provided to students from Turkic states by Turkey, Manas University in Kyrgyzstan and Akhmet Yassawi University in Kazakhstan played an important role during this time, he said.
He added that this enabled Turkic states to proceed toward economic and institutional cooperation.
Kydyrali said Kazakhstan pursues a balanced and multipronged foreign policy under the leadership of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a seasoned diplomat with experience in international organizations.
Relations with Turkey and the Turkic world occupy a special place in Kazakhstan's foreign policy, he said, stressing that Turkish-Kazakh relations are deep, multifaceted and historical.
Speaking about the mass protests that took place in the country in January, Kydyrali asserted that they could be seen as a challenge to the country's foreign policy.
In a short time, however, Kazakhstan made it clear that it would continue to follow a balanced foreign policy that aims for good relations with the West, Russia, China, the Turkic world and Turkey, he remarked.
In the wake of the protests, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took a clear position in support of the Kazakh government, according to Kydyrali.
Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay also visited Kazakhstan last month, a visit during which several steps were taken to strengthen bilateral ties in various areas and 11 new business deals worth $500 million (TL 7.4 billion) were signed, he concluded.
