ANKARA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is in solidarity with Kazakhstan and hopes the unrest in the Central Asian country will ease soon, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.
In a phone call with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Erdogan said Turkey is paying close attention to the developments in the country.
Expressing his hope that the new government will be established as soon as possible, Erdogan said he believes that the people of Kazakhstan will overcome the problems within the framework of mutual trust and dialogue.
Turkey is ready to share all kinds of technical knowledge and experience, if necessary, he added.
Meanwhile, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin tweeted that peace and stability of Kazakhstan is a top priority for Turkey, adding "we are deeply saddened by the incidents and loss of lives in Kazakhstan."
Kazakhstan is witnessing massive unrest which led to the resignation of the cabinet. The protests in the country were sparked on Sunday by dissatisfaction with surging fuel prices.
A state of emergency was declared in the country's Almaty region and Mangystau region.
Turkey was one of the first countries that recognized the independence of Kazakhstan.
In 2009, the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement to boost bilateral political, defense and economic cooperation. ■
