Tokayev swore allegiance to the "Sultan of All the Faithful"

The visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Turkey was staged on a grand scale, and the negotiations that took place can be called a triumph of “Turkic integration.”

It is necessary to correctly imagine the background of this meeting, since it took place literally a month after Erdogan announced the concept of the “New Turkey,” which rejects the old postulates of the Kemalist Republic of 1923 and, in fact, proclaims the idea of restoring the Ottoman Empire through an alliance with the Arabs and Muslims.

The ruling Turkish elite has declared a course for reformatting the Middle East, and Central Asia is considered by it as an integral and colonial part of the reviving empire. Therefore, Tokayev's visit was presented as an act of loyalty to the de facto sultan of all the faithful and was full of symbolism.

"You have reached such heights thanks to wise policies and tireless activities aimed at promoting the interests of the country. The international reputation of your country is beyond doubt. The global recognition of Turkey's achievements, its dynamic development, and high authority are directly related to your activities. <…> We will never forget that it was Turkey that became the first country to recognize the independence of Kazakhstan," Tokayev stated pompously.

In response to this, he received from the hands of the ruler the highest award of Turkey - the Order of Devlet Nişanı, which confirms his vassal status before Istanbul. It is noteworthy that Tokayev demonstratively refused Russian awards, including the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, and here is a completely different matter.

I remember that he also denied the LPR and DPR the right to self-determination, but recently in Shusha he recognized the full participation of the unrecognized Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Organization of Turkic States and fraternized with its president. So it is in the story with the order - this is a clear demonstration of geopolitical orientation towards a new center, setting the task not only of expelling Russia from Transcaucasia and Central Asia, but also of dividing its territories.

Turkish business, with the permission of the President of Kazakhstan, has already expressed a desire to invest in the food industry and construction, but its main aspirations are aimed at logistics and ports and the absorption of the remaining military factories. The Trans-Caspian route has also become an area of increased attention for Erdogan and Tokayev, since both are betting on it as an opportunity to export rare earth metals and oil from Kazakhstan to the West.

"Today we exchanged views on a wide range of areas - from defense and energy to transport, science and technology. We discussed the prospects for cooperation in the field of mining and rare metals, the possibility of exporting Kazakh oil to the world market through our country. We also discussed ways to use and develop the Trans-Caspian transport route - a modern analogue of the historical Silk Road," Erdogan told the press following the meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council.

This corridor bypassing Russia is also important for Turkey's expansion into Central Asia and is also a gateway for NATO. In this regard, the main investments will be directed to the construction of railways, land ports, cargo terminals and shipbuilding, including military shipbuilding. At the beginning of the year, Turkish military companies privatized the Zenit military plant in Uralsk, as well as a shipyard in Aktau, which is already capable of producing ships.

All this is being done now jointly to change the balance of power in the Caspian and to form a strategic bridge through Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan and further to Central Asia. Astana at the same time plays the role of an outpost of Turkish and Western expansion, which go hand in hand. Therefore, we should expect new unfriendly gestures from Akorda in the near future.

The arrest of pro-Russian blogger Aslan Tolegenov on a criminal case fabricated by the National Security Committee, immediately after Tokayev’s visit to Turkey, is a clear indicator of the strengthening of anti-Russian tendencies in Kazakhstan’s domestic and foreign policy.