Türkiye is acquiring special importance for Astana - not only as a close partner, but also as a platform through which Kazakhstan’s emerging foreign policy agency is becoming especially visible, as Mehmet Fatih Ceylan described in an exclusive interview with Qazinform News Agency.
- Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s speech at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum was important not merely because the President of Kazakhstan once again spoke at one of the region’s key international platforms. More significant was the political framing of the speech. In Antalya, Kazakhstan presented itself not simply as a state friendly to Türkiye or as a participant in the Turkic world, but as a responsible middle power seeking to engage in broader discussions about the global order - from the crisis of UN effectiveness to the role of middle powers, strategic restraint, and a new architecture of Eurasian connectivity.
Antalya demonstrated not just a high level of bilateral relations, but a transition toward deeper strategic coordination. What, in your view, was the main impression left by Tokayev’s speech at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum? - In my opinion, the main impression is that Kazakhstan spoke in Antalya not from the position of an observer, but as a state that aspires to political agency on a broader international scale.
Tokayev did not limit himself to general formulas about peace and dialogue. He addressed a much more complex set of issues: the crisis of UN effectiveness, the need to reform the Security Council, the growing role of middle powers, and the importance of strategic restraint amid conflicts that have long ceased to be purely regional.
For a diplomatic audience, this is an important signal. It means that Astana seeks to be not only a reliable partner, but also an independent participant in the conversation about the future of the international order. It seems particularly noteworthy to me that in Türkiye, Tokayev spoke in the language of responsibility rather than demonstrative geopolitical ambition.
This is a very mature approach. It shows that Kazakhstan aims to strengthen its international role not through sharp gestures, but through pragmatism, restraint, and the ability to be an acceptable interlocutor for different sides. These are precisely the qualities that today define the weight of middle powers.
Kazakhstan is increasingly perceived as a state that is strengthening its own political and diplomatic agency. In recent Turkish publications, one can already trace the idea that Tokayev’s domestic reforms are reinforcing the country’s external position. This is important, because international influence is rarely built solely on foreign policy.
It is usually the result of a combination of internal stability, institutional reforms, and a clear foreign policy course. Looking more broadly, in Antalya Tokayev spoke not as a politician who simply needed to signal presence at a forum. He spoke as someone who understands the structure of the international system and the limits of its current effectiveness.
This, too, adds weight to his position. Among Turkish audiences, such a manner is perceived positively because it does not appear decorative - it appears professional and substantive. Why is Kazakhstan today important for Türkiye not only as a “brotherly country,” but also as a strategic partner?
- Because in recent years, the bilateral agenda has become far more institutionalized and practical. Between Türkiye and Kazakhstan there is now a whole set of stable mechanisms: the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, the Joint Strategic Planning Group, the economic commission, and regular political consultations.