China and Russia’s positions must be taken into account. A Kazakh social media commentator stated that Kazakhstan should not join a military alliance led by Turkey. On November 2, Almas Zhaier wrote: Every nation has its own national interests, and in any negotiation, Kazakhstan’s interests must remain paramount. I support President Tokayev’s view that the Turkic Council should not be transformed into a military alliance. Turkey is a NATO member, and given our geopolitical realities, the stances of our two powerful neighbors toward NATO are well known.
Turkey operates within NATO’s security framework, but Kazakhstan maintains close political, military, economic, cultural, and social ties with both China and Russia, making it impossible to ignore the potential consequences of such military cooperation. We must maintain a realistic assessment of the world we live in. While we should continue to strengthen relations with Turkey, military cooperation and military alliances are fundamentally different matters. China and Russia will inevitably view such developments through the lens of their own security interests. We cannot pretend their reactions will have no impact on Kazakhstan. Let us not forget that Turkey shares no common border with either China or Russia.
It is clear from this Kazakh commentator’s remarks that if Turkey intends to prevent the Turkic Council from becoming a military alliance, then Kazakhstan should not join it. The reason is straightforward: both China and Russia will have opinions, and Kazakhstan cannot afford to disregard their positions. The commentator emphasizes Turkey’s status as a NATO member and takes into account China and Russia’s stance toward NATO—indicating a rational assessment based on Kazakhstan’s own geopolitical security concerns. It would be unwise to recklessly become entangled in a military arrangement with NATO implications simply due to ethnic and cultural affinities with Turkey.
In fact, this perspective is not isolated. Notably, at the recent summit of the Organization of Turkic States, President Tokayev proposed admitting Russia as an observer to the organization. He also explicitly stated that the Organization of Turkic States is not, and should never become, a military alliance. This clearly reflects Kazakhstan’s awareness of its strategic position. Kazakhstan’s prudent approach lies in developing economic ties with all parties while avoiding actions that could provoke regional neighbors on geopolitical issues. For Turkey, Kazakhstan’s position undoubtedly constitutes a significant setback to its broader ambitions.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1880733650976778/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.