Not healthy to use the term “strategic partnership” every time

But Presidents Gül and Nazarbayev signed a next strategic partnership agreement

Following an almost decade-and-a-half stall in Turkey's active engagement in brethren Turkic countries in Central Asia during the late Turkish president Turgut Özal's tenure, Turkey has started to build strong and lasting political and economic relations with Central Asian countries.

It was during Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov's visit to Turkey when Turkey took the first step to establish good relations with Central Asia's pro-Russian countries.

President Abdullah Gül and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a strategic partnership agreement on Thursday to boost political and economic relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan, a long-expected and belated deal according to some observers.

Turkey was the first country to recognize Kazakhstan when it got its independence from the former Soviet Union in late 1991. President Özal called Kazakh President Nazarbayev an hour after its declaration of independence and congratulated him. Turkey established diplomatic relations between the two countries in four months' time. Turkish contractors and investors have made substantial progress in the past two decades and have contributed considerably to the economic development of Kazakhstan. Turkey's contribution to education in Kazakhstan is also noteworthy; there are two Turkish universities and 28 Turkish schools in the country.

During his joint press conference with Turkish President Gül after the signing of the strategic agreement, Nazarbayev said the strategic aspect of the partnership between Ankara and Astana has always been there. Noting that this is an important effort, a famous expert on Kazakhstan, Abdulvahab Kara, said in an interview with Sunday's Zaman that this is the first time Turkey has signed a strategic partnership agreement with any Turkic country. “I view this as a huge step. We may collect the fruits of such agreements in the future. It could have productive implications with regard to economic and cultural relations,” said Kara. In contrast, Hüseyin Bağcı, a professor of international relations at Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), said it is not healthy to use the term strategic partnership every time. “The term has been widely used, and it has been watered down. It is impossible to have strategic relations with every country; we selectively use this term in international relations,” Bağcı said. “However,” he continued, “it is positive what has been done with Kazakhstan.” Mentioning Turkey's swift recognition of Kazakhstan's independence, Bağcı said the two countries have experienced ups and downs in bilateral relations. “Kazakhstan is a rich country with abundant natural resources and is a significant trade partner of Turkey,” Bağcı noted.

The Kazakh president also said the amount of Turkish investment in Kazakhstan since 1993 has been around $1 billion, while Kazakh investment in Turkey during the same period of time has been $4 billion. The primary goal of the two countries is to increase the annual trade volume to $5 billion from the current $2.5 billion. Nazarbayev's visit also included his and nearly 200 Kazakh businessmen's participation in the Turkish-Kazakh Business Forum in İstanbul on Friday. Kara said Turkey and Kazakhstan are in different realms in the region, so their cooperation exceeds their competition.

Speaking about the impact of growing relations with Kazakhstan, Kara also said these types of agreements may spill over to the other countries in the region. Pointing to Turkey's increasing relations with Russia, Kara said Turkish-Russian relations are indeed a determinant in Turkish-Kazakh relations, considering Kazakhstan's deep relations with Russia.

Bağcı, in addition, said he had always criticized previous Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer as he was unable to build diplomatic ties with Turkic countries. “As a tradition, Turkish presidents are primarily involved in diplomatic meetings with Turkic countries. Sezer had no ability in foreign affairs. This is a chance for Turkey, as Abdullah Gül's background is diplomacy,” Bağcı said. He also added that Turkey first started this expansion toward Central Asian Turkic countries in the early '90s with late President Özal. “We made many mistakes then; however, this time our foreign policy is slower, yet more confident,” Bağcı commented. He also stressed Turkey's growing relations with Russia to be a major impetus in improving relations with Kazakhstan.

todayszaman.com