Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed with an official ceremony by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on Thursday during an official visit to the Central Asian country.
Erdogan’s motorcade traveled along a route decorated with Turkish and Kazakh flags before arriving at the Independence Palace, where Tokayev greeted him.
Following the arrival ceremony, a military band played the national anthems of both countries, and Erdogan inspected the guard of honor.
After the introduction of delegations, the two leaders posed for photographs before holding one-on-one talks.
Later, Erdogan co-chaired the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council with Tokayev.
Erdogan was presented with the “Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Order” by Tokayev in a ceremony after the meetings.
In remarks during the ceremony, Erdogan said he was honored to become the first recipient of the distinction, which was established in the name of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the revered Turkic poet and Sufi philosopher.
“I see and accept this order as a sign of high appreciation for the Republic of Türkiye and our nation,” Erdogan said, thanking Tokayev for his leadership in strengthening ties between the two countries.
Tokayev announced the creation of the award on April 10, 2026.
The two leaders also inaugurated the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Primary School, built by Kazakhstan in the Nurdagi district of Türkiye’s Gaziantep province, following the devastating Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes.
