Nazarbaev and Erdogan discuss Kazakhstan-Turkey ties

    President Nursultan Nazarbayev and visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed bilateral ties in Astana.
    Nazarbayev's press statement says the presidents' talks on April 16 focused on trade, investment, industrial, transportation, and cultural ties between the two nations.
    They also discussed international and regional issues.
    Nazarbayev said at the meeting that Erdogan's visit to Kazakhstan would "bring our cooperation to a new level."
    He said Erdogan's leadership had brought the country "to the 16^th place in the world's economically developed countries."
    Erdogan thanked Nazarbayev for attending his inauguration and wished Nazarbayev success in Kazakhstan's April 26 presidential election, which he appears certain to win.
    Turkey and Kazakhstan, where Turkic-speaking Kazakh make up about three-quarters of the population, share a common linguistic, religious, and cultural background, according to RFE/RL.