Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov yesterday pledged Kazakhstan's support against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which was behind the July 15 coup attempt.

Speaking after a meeting with Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in the capital Astana, Idrissov said the countries had established a joint-investigative group to look into FETÖ and its penetration of Kazakh society.

"We decided to improve cooperation, especially in the education field," he said at a joint news briefing. "We will keep working with Turkey on this issue. Kazakhstan's government bodies maintain close cooperation with this working group. We are sure that our Turkish brothers will overcome this process successfully." The decision came in the wake of the Kazakh government's takeover of 27 schools belonging to FETÖ across the country and appointed Deputy Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov as chairman of the board of trustees for the schools. The Minister of Education and Science, Erlan Sagadiyev, was also appointed to the board of trustees.

The government also announced that it will change the name of the schools to "Science Innovation Schools" and FETÖ-linked teachers will be extradited from the country. The decision was supported by the students and their parents who don't want to be associated with the terror organization.

Çavuşoğlu welcomed Kazakhstan's support against FETÖ. He said President Nursultan Nazarbayev had backed Turkish democracy and was one of the first leaders to visit in the aftermath of the attempted coup. "We are sure that our brother country Kazakhstan will take Turkey's side in the fight against FETÖ," he told journalists.

Idrissov and Cavusoglu were meeting ahead of a strategic-cooperation meeting to be held in Turkey. As well as bilateral and regional relations, the pair also discussed commercial, educational and cultural issues. FETÖ, which is led by U.S.- based Fetullah Gülen, was behind the failed-coup attempt, during which 241 people were killed. For decades the group has been involved in establishing a network of schools and businesses in Turkey, as well as further afield, particularly in central Asia.