Özet:

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 it gained independence, Kazakhstan follows an external policy that observes the international power balance and is defined by Nursultan Nazarbayev as a "multiple foreign policy". Kazakhstan, which takes the priority of Russia and wants to continue its positive relations with China, intends to establish close relations with its neighbouring countries and with the US and the EU countries. In addition to all this, Turkey is a friendly and allied country for Kazakhstan. Turkey is the first country to recognize Kazakhstan’s independence. This situation can be considered as a political initiative that has extremely important symbolic meanings beyond just the beginning of a diplomatic relationship. In this bold behavior of Turkey, the role of love and desire to the Central Asian Turks has been great for many years. Unfortunately, this emotional approach has also hit the mark to the subsequent relations, and the steps taken without understanding the cultural substructure and the current state of the Central Asian republics have not been permanent. Therefore, the relations that develop after independence showed a decline after 1993, and the relations that rose again since 2002 have drawn a drop-out chart. Especially after 2016 in Turkey's increased interest in the Turkish World, the desire to turn to alternative geographies and the MHP factor have been influential due to the difficulties in the Middle East policy. In the development of the relations between the two countries, joint historical, cultural and spiritual connections have played an important role. After Kazakhstan gained its independence, numerous agreements signed with Turkey have established the basis of relations and cooperation in various areas. Parallel to the development of political relations between the two countries, Kazakhstan has become one of Turkey’s most important political and economic partners in the region. Especially since the AK Party arrived in power in 2002, the relations have gained a great vitality. At the 2006 Turkish Summit in Antalya, significant steps were taken in the field of cooperation with the Turkish Republics of Central Asia. Again, the relations with the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed during the visit of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Turkey in October 2009 have moved to a new dimension. It should be noted that Nazarbayev is also playing the leadership of the Turkish World. It can also be said that Nazarbayev, who supported the Kazak identity in his country and was in the effort to build a state, with some executions took the example of Atatürk. In this context, Kazakh language lessons were placed in schools, the obligation to publish Kazakh in certain proportions in written and visual press and the condition to know Kazakh in appointments in some government duties, in addition, the transition to the Latin Alphabet was provided. On the other hand, at the official visit of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan to Kazakhstan in May 2012, the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (YDSK) was established and the Turkish strategic relations with Kazakhstan were placed in an enterprise framework. Today, the main issue between Turkey and Kazakhstan is the oil pipeline. Turkey imports oil and natural gas from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in order to diversify its energy sources. In this context, it can be said that the approach of Turkey to the Turkish Republic is especially energy and economic. The volume of trade between Turkey and Kazakhstan in January-September 2017 reached $2 billion in total. The goal is to raise the volume of binary trade to $10 billion. The cooperation between Turkey and Kazakhstan in the regional and international field is also rapidly developing. For the establishment of peace and peace in the Eurasia geography, the Summit of the Turkish-speaking countries was established in the leadership of two countries; in the establishment of the Turkish Council and the Turkish Council, together with Turkey, Kazakhstan played an important role. The institution that regulates cultural relations between the Turkish Republics is the Turkish Council. Kazakhstan also hosts the International Turkish Academy. The cooperation in the field of education and culture is also an important dimension of the relations between the two countries. Hoca Ahmet Yesevi International Turkish-Kazakh University sees an extremely important function. This study, by analyzing the relations between Kazakhstan and Turkey, aims to identify the actual dimension of the relations during the AK Party period. The article will first explore the fundamental characteristics of the foreign policies of Turkey and Kazakhstan of the period, and then the political, social, cultural and economic relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan will be attempted to be illuminated and evaluated on the basis of the period of the AK Party Governments.