“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
2025-01-14
Since the 1990s, Turkey has used international educational programs as an important tool of soft power, deepening ties with the Turkic countries of Central Asia by offering language programs, cultural events, and media initiatives.
To coordinate Turkey’s cultural and social influence, TİKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) was established in 1992, playing a key role in the development of socio-economic, educational, cultural, and other sectors. For example, one of TİKA’s first coordination offices was opened in Turkmenistan in 1993, implementing over 500 projects mainly in education, healthcare, infrastructure, production, and restoration sectors. The Tashkent office in Uzbekistan was launched in 1994 and has implemented around 900 projects to date. In Kazakhstan, TİKA’s office was established in Almaty in 1995 and relocated to Astana in 2008, executing about 500 projects, including the restoration of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. In Kyrgyzstan, TİKA’s office opened in 1993, with approximately 1,300 projects carried out.
TİKA, in collaboration with the Yunus Emre Institute, also supports the training of teachers and scholars. Within the framework of these programs, 460 Kazakh educators were trained in Turkey from 2011 to 2016. Through this educational model, Turkey strengthens its position in the region.
Turkish schools serve as a tool for expanding influence in the education sector of Central Asian countries. Currently, the Maarif Foundation schools are emphasized, but before their establishment, the so-called Gülenist schools were actively operating in these countries. Their activities raised concerns, as these countries viewed the dissemination of religious and pro-Turkish ideas as a threat to their secular foundations. This issue was particularly acute in Uzbekistan, amid strained relations with Turkey, leading to the closure of these schools in the early 2000s, and in Turkmenistan in 2011. Following the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, Gülenist schools became targets of the Turkish authorities, who pressured various governments to close these schools or place them under Turkish state control. Many institutions considered Gülenist were transferred to the control of the Maarif Foundation. However, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, considering Turkey’s demands as interference in their internal affairs, refused to comply with these requests.
Turkey has also established various cultural centers in Central Asian countries, including the Yunus Emre Institute, which promotes Turkish culture and language through seminars and cultural programs. Although the organization’s official representation currently operates only in Kazakhstan, it is actively engaged in other countries in the region as well.
The Turkish government provides scholarships to students from Central Asia, allowing them to study in Turkey. Notably, the Türkiye Scholarships program attracts thousands of students from Central Asia to Turkish universities each year. In 2023, 117,367 students from 163 countries applied to participate in this program. For instance, 262 students from Kazakhstan benefited from the program that year.
Cooperation programs have been established between Turkish and Central Asian universities. For example, the Turkish-Kyrgyz Manas University operates in Kyrgyzstan, and the Turkish-Kazakh Ahmet Yassawi University is based in Kazakhstan.
Turkey’s President of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) is a key institution guiding religious soft power, not only constructing and restoring mosques but also providing religious education. Within this framework, the TDV Foundation runs programs for imams and religious scholars from Central Asia. As of 2019, around 1,185 students from 80 countries continued their education at Turkey’s international Imam Hatip high schools. Diyanet is also active in Central Asia, particularly in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Thus, the programs offered in educational institutions in Turkey and other countries place significant emphasis on Turkic and Islamic heritage, which connects Turkey and Central Asia. The goal is to foster a sense of unity and shared identity among the population of the region, thereby positioning Turkey as a key cultural player. This policy is met with caution in Central Asian countries, which prefer more balanced relations and remain vigilant about the expansion of Turkey’s influence in the educational and cultural sectors.