By Catherine Putz
A visit and a phone call illustrate that Astana is stuck between Moscow and Ankara.
Kazakhstan still finds itself situated awkwardly between two long-time allies: Russia and Turkey. Up until late November 2015, when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet it claimed violated its territory, Russia and Turkey were allies too. Now, Russians won’t be vacationing in Turkey any time soon and Turkish businesses in Russia are facing a difficult year due to sanctions. Few hope for a quick return to the status quo between Ankara and Moscow. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan remains quietly between the two former friends now slinging accusations at each other.
To illustrate Kazakhstan’s bind, just look at President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s recent engagement schedule. On February 6 he hosted the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Astana. Nazarbayev lauded Kazakh cooperation with Turkey, particularly regarding the Turkic Council. “Turkey is very important for Kazakhstan, and we will never stop our cooperation policy,” Nazarbayev said.
Regarding the Russia-Turkey tensions he was diplomatic, saying,“The reasons for everything that is happening today are still unclear” and going on to peg the conflict in Syria and Iraq as rooted in the Sunni-Shia divide. Nazarbayev, per the snippets posted by the president’s office, stressed that both Russia and Turkey are important allies. “The tension between Turkey and Russia is a great challenge for us as well.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat