Smart power in Kazakh-Turkish relations

Today, the main reason for the establishment of balanced and multidimensional relations for Kazakhstan, which is considered one of the important countries of Central Asia, is geocultural, geopolitical and geo-economic changes in world politics. In the multidimensional foreign policy of Kazakhstan, it is necessary to establish closer ties with the Turkic-speaking countries, especially with Turkey. In this regard, various studies have been carried out by researchers studying the Kazakh-Turkish relations. Some argue that bilateral relations develop thanks to cultural ties, while others argue that the development of bilateral relations is based on economic interests. To eliminate such misunderstandings, this study tries to answer such questions as, factors affecting the development of Kazakh-Turkish relations, how Kazakh-Turkish relations develop and what is the main driving force in the development of Kazakh-Turkish relations. Since the Kazakh-Turkish relations are multidimensional, it is not enough to describe these dimensions in terms of "soft" or "hard power". Therefore, this study examines this bilateral relationship from a modern perspective, in terms of smart power, which is a combination of hard and soft power. The study hypothesizes that the concept of smart power plays a decisive role in determining the policy between Kazakhstan and Turkey. Theories such as constructivism and liberalism form the theoretical basis of the study. The basis for the development of Kazakh-Turkish relations is their common ethnic origin, language, history and common cultural values. Thus, it was revealed that the theory of constructivism is suitable for the study of relations between two countries. However, Kazakh-Turkish relations are not limited only to cultural values, but also develops an economic and strategic dimension. For this reason, the theory of liberalism began to be applied in the study of the economic dimension of bilateral relations. While studying Kazakh-Turkish relations were used methods of collecting qualitative data such as interview and document analysis. In the course of the research, were conducted interviews with scientists, diplomats and representatives of civil society through the Internet. As a result of the study of Kazakh-Turkish relations through smart power concept, it was revealed that the relations between two countries cannot be one-sided. On the contrary, these relations are multidimensional , which skillfully combine all the elements of "smart power" based on cultural ties, accepting mutual economic interests and mostly based on elements of soft power. Thus, a multidimensional, smart policy based on common cultural ties and values is being pursued between two countries.