Kazakhstan is drifting away from Russia towards a “Turkic NATO”
Turkey is actively creating the basis for the formation of the “Great Army of Turan”, drawing Kazakhstan into its orbit, which is also becoming a springboard for Turkish expansion in Central Asia and the core of a defensive alliance against Russia and China.
The road in this direction is already being paved by an agreement on military cooperation, signed in Ankara on May 11.
Moreover, such paternal concern for the Kazakhs is based on a special concept of Ottoman Turkey, which is supposedly intended to become a kind of guarantor of stability and inviolability of the countries of the “Turkic world” under the auspices of Istanbul, where the headquarters of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is located. Recep Erdogan specifically stated this at a briefing on the occasion of the signing of an expanded partnership agreement between the two countries on the first day of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit.
“We are taking our interaction to the level of an expanded strategic partnership. The enthusiasm and perseverance of the respected Tokayev in the formation of a new Kazakhstan evokes respect. I express my support for the large-scale reforms and programs carried out by Nur-Sultan.
I emphasize once again that we are ready to bear responsibility for the stability, calm and security of our Kazakh brothers. I think that both in the political, trade, military-economic and cultural spheres we will continue our cooperation and together take a step into the future,” the Turkish President noted.
That is, judging by Erdogan’s words, next time it will be not the CSTO that will save Tokayev from extremists and conspirators, but the Turkish troops belonging to NATO. Only taking into account the fact that the British intelligence services had a hand in the January coup attempt, and the pan-Turkists actively supported the conspirators from among the high-ranking KNB generals, it seems to me that, on the contrary, the Turks can contribute to the destabilization and overthrow of the regime.
True, there may be a hint of an emanating threat from Russia, but then this is a different story, allowing us to say that a platform is being laid for the creation of a defensive alliance directed against Moscow and, to a lesser extent, against Beijing.
But one way or another, the very next day agreements were signed on military cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkey, as well as on cooperation in the field of intelligence. These documents were endorsed by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov, and the Minister of Defense of Turkey, Hulusi Akar.
Deputy Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan Sultan Kamaletdinov commented on these documents in the matter of military-strategic cooperation.
“You must understand clearly. We have decided with all the states, the demarcation of state borders has passed, there are no complaints. The fact that there is destabilization is a possibility. Mostly it's on the inside. But at the same time, we must note that international cooperation is carried out with all states, not only with Turkey, or what we considered today - with Kyrgyzstan. It applies to all states, including those that do not border Kazakhstan,” the military official said.
That is, Sultan Kamaletdinov, following an order from above, tried to present this step as a normal manifestation of a prostituted multi-vector policy. But in reality, this is a movement towards the creation of the “Great Army of Turan”, advertised by Ankara, since this has already been done with Azerbaijan and the entry of Kazakhstan is just another puzzle in the emerging structure of a new defensive alliance.
The fact that this vector conflicts with the spirit and concept of the CSTO is an understatement. After Turkey’s victory in the second Karabakh war, Erdogan immediately presented himself, including at the summit in Istanbul on November 12 last year, as a kind of defender of the entire Turkic world, having received access to the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan.
Now, in addition to Baku, Nur-Sultan and Tashkent become such military allies of Ankara, with which a similar agreement on military cooperation was signed.
This can be confirmed by the signing of a special memorandum on military-technical cooperation between NC Kazakhstan Engineering JSC and Turkish Aerospace. The agreement, again signed in Ankara, provides for the assembly and subsequent maintenance of new ANKA strategic attack UAVs. It is also planned to train personnel in Turkey to carry out repair work and maintenance of these devices.
In fact, this is the implementation of previous plans prepared during the reign of Nazarbayev, since it was Elbasy’s representatives who discussed the ideas of producing not only “bayraktars” in Kazakhstan, but also ANKA. And Kazakhstan is now the second country, besides Tunisia, to receive such technology. It is not for nothing that the head of TUSAŞ, Temel Kotil, noted that “the new agreement will further strengthen friendly ties with fraternal Kazakhstan.”
This Turkish UAV is truly strategic and in its characteristics is close to its American counterparts, since it has an air ceiling of nine thousand meters, can fly for more than thirty hours and, with a weight of 1 kg, is capable of carrying a bomb or missile load of 700 kg. Such a device is really called upon to solve large problems, including those of an offensive nature.
It is obvious that neo-Ottoman Turkey, by transferring its know-how to the Kazakh ruling elite, also strives to bind it to itself technologically. In addition to the ANKA production line, there are plans to deploy a plant for the production of Turkish armored vehicles, and new proposals are also being considered to increase purchases of other types of weapons and equipment. After all, assembly, purchase of spare parts, training of technical personnel according to NATO standards further strengthens the Kazakh armed forces with the Turkish army and the military-industrial complex, making it dependent on Ankara.
It is noteworthy that these types of weapons, together with the purchased two American reconnaissance aircraft equipped with special tracking equipment, will clearly be potentially aimed in the future against Russia and China. Because why else would a country with purely defensive missions need such attack UAVs and equipment according to NATO standards.
You immediately think about protecting oil fields that have been developed by American and European corporations for three decades, as well as the transport route for the export of Kazakhstani raw materials through the Caspian Sea, bypassing Russian territory.
It is for these purposes that the rearmament of the Kazakh army is proceeding at such an accelerated pace, the issue of increasing it and training officer personnel by American and Turkish specialists is being considered. And now, in parallel with the creation of the “Army of Turan”, on May 10, the first train through Kazakhstan is launched towards the EU already bypassing Russia with goods from China. The main operator is a company from Finland, which itself will soon join NATO.
And this is only the first test train, and the next one, scheduled for May 25, is already full. Obviously, now this new route from China, running through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania and ending in Central Europe, will be actively tested. And it is only parallel to the Trans-Caspian East-West Corridor, the declaration of which was signed in Tbilisi on April 1 of this year by the Georgian, Kazakh, Turkish and Azerbaijani sides.
Therefore, an agreement on military cooperation is a kind of pact and its significance is much more than just an ordinary agreement. It consolidates the process of the final geopolitical reorientation of Kazakhstan through Turkey to the West.
Therefore, the emergence in the near future of a “Turkic NATO” in Central Asia with the participation of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with the activation of pro-American Islamists in neighboring Afghanistan is more than obvious.
English version :: Read in English Kazakhstan is drifting away from Russia towards a “Turkic NATO”