Turkish, Kazakh foreign ministers co-chair 7th Joint Strategic Planning Group meeting

By Seda Sevencan and Meiramgul Kussainova

ISTANBUL / NUR SULTAN (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tleuberdi on Thursday co-chaired the seventh meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group.

A joint statement issued following the meeting said that the two sides discussed all aspects of the current state of bilateral relations and comprehensively exchanged views on regional and international issues.

Referring to the joint statement adopted at the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Turkic States (OTS) on Jan. 11, Cavusoglu, which holds the Term Presidency of the OTS, reiterated the strong support to and solidarity with people of Kazakhstan with regard to the events that happened in Kazakhstan in January 2022.

The Kazakh side expressed its appreciation with the support given by Turkiye and the OTS during that period.

“Recalling that the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkiye and Kazakhstan will be celebrated on March 2, 2022, the Sides confirmed their intention to continue actively developing the relations and cooperation between the two brotherly countries based on common history, language and culture, and to deepen their cooperation in a way benefiting not only the two nations but also contributing to regional peace and stability,” the statement said.

“The Sides underlined the importance of mutual visits and meetings at all levels in order to vitalize and continue the political dialogue in accordance with the spirit of strategic partnership between the Republic of Turkiye and the Republic of Kazakhstan as two brotherly countries,” it added.

The statement said the two sides discussed the calendar of high-level visits expected to take place in 2022 during the meeting and reviewed the preparations for the fourth Session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which will be held in Kazakhstan in 2022.

Referring to the agenda of the Joint Economic Commission meeting, which will be held in Kazakhstan in 2022, the two countries underlined the importance of deepening the cooperation between the two countries in the fields of trade, economy, investment and culture, it said.

The statement said: “The sides expressed their satisfaction with the bilateral trade volume which exceeded $5 billion for the first time in 2021, and confirmed their readiness to work together to achieve the goal of increasing the trade volume to $10 billion as set by their Heads of State.

“The Sides emphasized that increasing human contacts between the brotherly Turkish and Kazakh peoples would contribute to the further development of all aspects of bilateral relations. In this context, they dwelt on enhancing cooperation in the fields of education and culture.”

The two countries also stressed the importance of enhancing close dialogue, cooperation and solidarity between the two countries on the subject of regional and global stability, it said.

“In this regard, the contribution of OTS to the development of multilateral cooperation between the two countries and the establishment of stability and prosperity in the Eurasian region was noted with satisfaction.”

The statement said the two countries highlighted the importance of deepening cooperation within the relevant international and regional organizations, including the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organization.

“The Sides highlighted the importance of intensive consultations on regional cooperation aimed at achieving lasting stability in Afghanistan,” it said.

“During the meeting, the Sides agreed to maintain the understanding for mutually supporting each other’s candidacies to various international organizations and posts,” it added.

- Kazakhstan to support joint projects with Turkish companies

According to a statement by the Kazakhstan Presidency, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also spoke to Cavusoglu via video conference.

During the meeting, they discussed further strengthening cooperation in the bilateral commercial, economic, investment and humanitarian spheres, as well as the perspectives of the Kazakh and Turkish strategic partnership.

Noting that the 12th term of Turkiye-Kazakhstan Joint Economic Commission Meeting, which will be held in the capital Nur Sultan next week, will be an important factor in further developing bilateral cooperation, Tokayev underlined that the Kazakhstan government will support joint projects that will be launched with the participation of Turkish companies.