President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday was welcomed with an official ceremony in the Kazakh capital Astana.
Erdoğan and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev are expected to hold one-on-one talks on bilateral relations and international issues.
The presidents will also co-chair the fourth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council to enhance political, economic, cultural and defense ties, followed by a joint news conference.
It is expected that concrete steps will be taken to expand the strategic partnership between the two countries during Erdogan's official visit to the country on Oct. 12-13, symbolizing the new era of bilateral relations with Kazakh President Tokayev, who established official contact with Ankara for the first time in May.
Since Erdoğan's last visit in 2017, Kazakhstan has been experiencing a new political and socioeconomic process that came with the change of power.
This year, Türkiye and Kazakhstan celebrated the 30th anniversary of establishing their diplomatic relations.
Türkiye was the first country to recognize the declaration of independence of Kazakhstan, which was a part of the former Soviet Union for about 70 years and gained its sovereignty with the dissolution of the union.
Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations with Türkiye in March 1992, about two months after officially announcing its independence.
Türkiye opened its embassy in Almaty, the country's capital at that time, and pioneered the establishment of the first diplomatic mission in independent Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan also set up its embassy in Ankara in the same year. In 2009, bilateral relations between the countries gained the status of strategic partnership.
While in Astana, Erdogan on Thursday will participate in a summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
The two-day event will address political, economic, humanitarian and environmental issues, as well as new challenges and threats.
Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov said on Monday that 11 heads of state, including from Azerbaijan and Palestine, will be attending the summit.
Established in 1992, CICA is a multi-national Asia-focused forum with 27 member states and more than 10 other countries and inter-governmental organizations with observer status.
Meeting with Putin
On the sidelines of the summit, Erdogan is expected to hold bilateral talks with participating leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The presidents will meet on Thursday to discuss Ukraine and bilateral relations, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
Türkiye on Tuesday called for a cease-fire in Ukraine just days ahead of the meeting between the leaders of Türkiye and Russia in the Kazakh capital Astana.
Erdogan, who won plaudits for securing a grain deal as well as a Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap, has long sought to bring together Kyiv and Moscow for truce talks that neither side particularly wants.
Ankara's call comes ahead of the meeting set for Thursday between Putin and Erdogan, who has a good working relationship with the Russian leader despite disagreements on several issues including in Syria.
NATO member Türkiye, which has stayed neutral throughout the conflict in Ukraine, also has good ties with Kyiv.
But increasing Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities are further diminishing the chances for a diplomatic solution which Ankara has longed for since the war began in February.
"Unfortunately (both sides) have quickly moved away from diplomacy" since the talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul in March, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a televised interview.
"As the Ukraine-Russian war drags on, unfortunately, the situation gets worse and more complicated," added the Turkish diplomat, who called for an immediate cease-fire.
"A cease-fire must be established as soon as possible. The sooner the better," he said.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin will meet Erdogan in Astana on Thursday.
"Preparations are underway for the meeting," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The talks will be an opportunity to discuss the situation in "Ukraine, bilateral ties and exchange views on current issues," he said.
Türkiye has refrained from joining Western sanctions against Russia.
Erdogan, who met Putin on the sidelines of a regional summit in Uzbekistan last month, is keen to boost trade with Moscow as he tries to stabilize the Turkish economy in the run-up to elections next June.
During the interview on Tuesday, Cavusoglu called for a "just peace" based on Ukraine's territorial integrity.
"There must be a just peace for Ukraine. Where is the war going on? It's going on on Ukrainian soil," he said.
"A process that will ensure Ukraine's border and territorial integrity should start. Without a cease-fire, it is not possible to talk about those issues in a healthy way: a viable cease-fire and a just peace."
Türkiye has rejected Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian provinces as a "grave violation" of international law and called for negotiations to end the conflict.