ALMATY - Turkish Labor & Social Security Minister Murat Basesgioglu met Turkish businessmen operating in Kazakhstan at a breakfast on Sunday.
Speaking at the meeting hosted by the Kazakh-Turkish Businessmen's Association, Basesgioglu, who is currently in Almaty on an official visit, said that Turkey attached special importance to its relations with the Turkish Republics in Central Asia.
''The Labor & Social Security Consultancy Unit was established under the structure of the Turkish Embassy last year in order to improve our relations with Kazakhstan on the issues of labor and social security,'' he said.
Basesgioglu noted that there had been a great potential between Turkey and Kazakhstan to further improve their bilateral economic and commercial relations.
Recalling that nearly 5 thousand Turkish citizens had been working in Kazakhstan as employees and employers, Basesgioglu expressed his regret that the two countries could not sign a labor and social security agreement yet.
Following the meeting, Basesgioglu and his entourage left Kazakhstan for Kyrgyzstan, the second and last stop of their tour of Central Asia.