By Diyar Guldogan
ANKARA (AA) - Ankara will continue to support Kazakhstan's territorial integrity, stability and peace, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
"We will continue to support the stability, peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity of brotherly Kazakhstan, which has a deep historical background and state experience," Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the capital Astana.
The presidents had one-on-one talks and inter-delegation meetings to discuss bilateral relations and international issues. Erdogan and Tokayev also co-chaired the fourth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council to enhance political, economic, cultural, and defense ties.
Erdogan said they evaluated "the excellent relations" between the two countries.
He added that Ankara and Astana will continue to work to strengthen connections in the fields of transportation, energy and trade.
"Last year, we exceeded the level of $5 billion in our trade volume with Kazakhstan. We are taking firm steps toward our target of $10 billion in the medium term," the president said.
Erdogan was also awarded the Order of Friendship by Tokayev.