Turkey has offered — belatedly — to support Kazakhstan in helping to restore order to the central Asian nation that has been rocked by violent protests triggered by a hike in fuel prices and underpinned by a power struggle between rival ruling clans.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a meeting of his governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) over the weekend, “Turkey hopes that Kazakhstan will attain stability and peace as soon as possible. For this, Turkey and the Organization of Turkic States will lend all kinds of support.” Cavusoglu was referring to the Istanbul-based international group formed by Turkey and the former Soviet states of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan with which it shares ethnic and linguistic ties.
