Nazarbaev And Erdogan Discuss Kazakhstan-Turkey Ties

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev and visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed bilateral ties in Astana.

Nazarbaev's press service says the presidents' talks on April 16 focused on trade, economic, investment, industrial, transportation, and cultural ties between the two nations.

They also discussed international and regional issues.

Nazarbaev said at the meeting that Erdogan's visit to Kazakhstan will "bring our cooperation to a new level."

He said Erdogan's leadership had brought the country "to the 16th place in the world's economically developed countries."

Erdogan thanked Nazarbaev for attending his inauguration and wished Nazarbaev success in Kazakhstan's April 26 presidential election, which he appears certain to win.

Turkey and Kazakhstan, where Turkic-speaking Kazakh make up about three-quarters of the population, share a common linguistic, religious, and cultural background.

Based on reporting by Kazinform and KazTAG