Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Kazakhstan and Turkiye have set an ambitious new goal of increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion, as growing ties between Astana and Ankara continue to generate new joint projects and investment opportunities, AzerNEWS reports.

This was stated by Gabidulla Ospankulov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in comments regarding the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Astana.

According to him, close and frequent contacts between the two countries’ presidents, governments, ministries, and regional authorities are being accompanied by the active expansion of business cooperation.

“New investment projects are emerging as a result of these negotiations. Last year, during the visit of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Turkiye, a business forum was held, following which agreements worth more than $500 million were signed,” Ospankulov said.

He emphasized that Turkiye remains one of Kazakhstan’s key economic partners. “Last year, bilateral trade exceeded $5 billion. Our new goal is to double that figure to $10 billion,” he added.

More than 5,000 companies with Turkish capital currently operate in Kazakhstan, while total Turkish investment in the country has exceeded $6 billion over the past two decades.

Political analyst Tahir Nigmanov also noted that Turkiye is a long-standing and stable partner of Kazakhstan, with steadily expanding cooperation in education, infrastructure, and business.

He pointed out that Turkiye accounts for around 4% of Kazakhstan’s total foreign trade, while bilateral trade grew by approximately $500 million over the past year.

Nigmanov also highlighted the importance of transport and logistics cooperation. “Around 6.5 million tons of goods were transported by rail between Kazakhstan and Turkiye last year alone. Special attention is being given to the development of the Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route,” he said.

Commenting on future prospects, he noted that resolving regional connectivity issues such as the Zangezur corridor could further strengthen transport links between Asia and Europe through Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and the South Caucasus.

The visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Astana is seen as a continuation of efforts to deepen strategic cooperation and is expected to result in new agreements across energy, logistics, and industrial sectors.

Experts also suggest that the Middle Corridor could become one of the fastest-growing alternative trade routes between China and Europe, reducing dependence on traditional northern shipping paths and increasing Kazakhstan’s role as a key Eurasian transit hub.