Turkey, Kazakhstan boosting Cooperation

    Attending a business forum with his Kazakhstani counterpart, Turkish President Abdullah Gül called Tuesday for businesspeople in the two countries to engage in mutual investments.
    Gül, together with President Nursultan Nazarbayev, attended the Kazakh-Turkish Business Forum as part the latter’s state visit to Ankara.
    Kazakhstan was the heart and the rising star of the Asian continent, Gül said during the meeting.
    “Our bilateral relations have been further deepening and improving, since the day Kazakhstan acquired its independence,” he said.
    "There are a number of Turkish businessmen operating in Kazakhstan. They mainly work in the construction sector. President Nazarbayev asked us to encourage Turkish businessmen to also make investments into the mining and energy sectors," he said.
    Gül added, "The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway has been continuing. President Nazarbayev also supports the projects and vowed to provide 10 million tons of equipment. Railway projects via Iran and Turkmenistan will diversify transportation routes in the region."
    The Turkish president called on Turkish and Kazakh businesspeople to make mutual investments.
    “Eximbank and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan have reached an agreement to support such investments. Despite the global financial crisis, Turkey's exports exceeded $100 billion in 2009. There is great investment potential in Turkey. We invite Kazakh businessmen to invest into our country, which has become a 'safe island' in the region," according to the Anatolia News Agency.