ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan participated via videoconference in the opening ceremony of the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi School in Türkiye and reviewed a new package of bilateral investment initiatives aimed at strengthening economic cooperation on May 14.
The school, located in Nurdağı in Gaziantep Province, was built on the initiative of President Tokayev following the devastating earthquake in 2023. The 6,000-square-meter facility includes 32 primary and four preschool classrooms, laboratories, a conference hall, a library, sports infrastructure, an amphitheater, playgrounds, and gazebo areas inspired by traditional Kazakh yurts.
Designed in line with Turkish safety standards, the project incorporates enhanced seismic resistance, waterproofing, and energy-efficient engineering solutions, the Akorda reported. During the event, the Presidents were presented with joint Kazakh-Turkish investment projects worth more than $920 million, expected to create over 3,100 jobs in Kazakhstan.
These include plans by Miryıldız for a mining and processing plant in the Abai Region, İskefe Holding for gelatin production in Almaty, Orzax Group for a dietary supplements plant in the Turkistan Region, a logistics hub project by S Sistem Lojistik together with Kazpost at Aktobe International Airport, and a deep-processing plant for wheat and peas by Tiryaki Holding in Astana.
Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin noted that around 100 Turkish-invested projects worth approximately $4 billion have already been implemented in Kazakhstan, with another 50 projects valued at nearly $4 billion currently in progress, reflecting deepening strategic cooperation between the two countries.
Following bilateral talks and the sixth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, President Tokayev and President Erdoğan signed the Declaration on Eternal Friendship and Enhanced Strategic Partnership, expanding cooperation across legal, economic, cultural, investment, energy, and defense sectors.
The package includes agreements on legal assistance in civil matters, the establishment of cultural centers, and the mutual protection of investments. An investment agreement was also concluded with TAV Holding, alongside education initiatives such as the Abai-Akif program and the opening of Turkish Maarif Foundation schools in Kazakhstan.
Additional agreements cover media cooperation between Kazakhstan’s presidential broadcasting complex and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), financing of a multidisciplinary hospital, and expanded energy collaboration between KazMunayGas and Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı, including oilfield services and joint exploration projects.
Financial sector ties were strengthened through cooperation between the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and the Istanbul Financial Center. The sides also agreed to establish a joint venture for the production and maintenance of ANKA unmanned aerial vehicles.
During the Turkish President’s state visit, further memoranda were signed between KazAID and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, as well as between Astana International Exchange and Borsa Istanbul, reinforcing cooperation in development and capital markets.