Kazakhstan, Astana, May 25 / Trend S. Suleymanov /
After the collapse of the USSR, Turkic countries were allowed to resume their relations, which were suspended, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said, commenting on the opening of the Academy of the Turkic world in Astana.
"Kazakhstan got the first proposal from Turkey," Nazarbayev said after the meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Astana.
Kazakhstan has supported these initiatives and begun the work, Nazarbayev said.
He said that the Turkic-speaking countries were that time in different situations. They had different interests. Nevertheless, the Council of Turkic-speaking countries was established.
"The idea to restore relations in the Turkic world is embodied in the Kazakh city of Turkestan, where children-representatives of 29 nations of the North Caucasus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Yakutia, and other places, study here," the president said.