Turkey and Kazakhstan have expanded their bilateral cooperation with the signing of 20 agreements during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Ankara. The agreements cover key sectors including energy, transportation, technology, and trade, highlighting both countries’ interest in strengthening ties amid shifting regional dynamics.
President Tokayev met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 29 as part of the fifth High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting. The talks focused on deepening economic and strategic collaboration between the two countries.
“We discussed the potential of higher exports and welcome Turkish Petroleum’s intent to work on the Kazakh market,” President Tokayev said at the joint press conference. He also noted Kazakhstan’s interest in cooperating with Turkish firms on energy diversification and infrastructure development.
Energy Sector: Focus on the BTC Pipeline
Among the key outcomes was an agreement between Turkey’s state energy company TPAO and Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas to explore expanding Kazakh oil exports via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. The pipeline provides a route from the Caspian Sea to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, bypassing Russian infrastructure.
In the first half of 2025, Kazakhstan increased oil exports via the BTC pipeline by 12%, reaching approximately 785,000 tons (around 34,000 barrels per day). Although the majority of Kazakhstan’s crude oil is currently exported through Russia’s Black Sea ports, the BTC route offers an additional export option.
Turkey, meanwhile, has been expanding its own energy activities, including offshore gas production in the Black Sea and new oil and gas cooperation efforts in regions such as Iraq and the Caspian Basin.
Logistics and the Middle Corridor
The Ankara meeting also included the signing of agreements related to freight transport and international road logistics. These align with ongoing efforts to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR)—also known as the Middle Corridor—which links China to Europe via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, and Turkey.
Both countries view the Middle Corridor as a key component of regional connectivity, particularly in light of growing interest in alternative trade routes that avoid reliance on Russian transit networks. Kazakhstan’s Aktau port is expected to play a significant role in this corridor.
Technology and Digital Cooperation
A memorandum of understanding was also signed between Turkey’s Ministry of Industry and Technology and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry. The agreement outlines cooperation in artificial intelligence, space activities, and innovation.
Kazakhstan has been investing in digitalization, reporting that 92% of public services were delivered electronically by 2024. The country now has over 18,600 registered IT firms—a 16% increase over three years—and ranks among the top 25 globally in e-government development, according to UN assessments.
Context of Broader Engagement
The Ankara summit is one in a series of high-level meetings involving Kazakhstan in 2025. In recent months, Astana has hosted leaders from Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Italy, and has held multilateral summits with China and Central Asian countries. The agreements signed with Turkey come amid Kazakhstan’s efforts to pursue a multivector foreign policy that includes cooperation with the European Union, China, Russia, and members of the Organization of Turkic States.
Turkey and Kazakhstan are founding members of the OTS and continue to collaborate on regional initiatives, including infrastructure development and economic integration.
“Kazakhstan and Turkey will continue their cooperation in international platforms,” President Tokayev stated, adding that both sides had also exchanged views on regional and global issues.
The visit concluded with Tokayev extending an invitation to President Erdoğan to visit Kazakhstan, expressing hope that bilateral cooperation would continue to expand in the coming years.
