Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus called for closer ties with Kazakhstan during talks in Bishkek on Oct. 20, as a regional assembly brought together lawmakers from Turkic states.
In his meeting with Kazakh parliamentary chief Aibek Dadebay, Kurtulmus described Kazakhstan as Türkiye’s largest trading partner in Central Asia. He said the Middle Corridor mattered to commerce between East and West and urged stronger cooperation between the two parliaments, Türkiye’s parliament said.
Kurtulmus cited the countries’ historical, linguistic and cultural ties as reasons to work more closely together. He also welcomed the growth in their economic relations.
The talks took place as the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) held its 15th General Assembly in Bishkek. Separately, Kurtulmus joined other parliamentary leaders in a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov. Their discussion covered regional cooperation and TURKPA’s work, according to Türkiye’s parliament.
Kurtulmus invited Dadebay to the COP31 Parliamentary Meeting on Nov. 16 during the climate conference in Antalya. Türkiye’s parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union are organizing the parliamentary meeting.
