Askhat Kessikbayev was born in 1975 in the city of Balkhash, Kazakhstan. After graduating from the Faculty of Economy of the Anadolu University, he completed his Master’s Degree in 2001 at the Institute of Social Science of the same university with a thesis on the “Geo-Economic Transformation in Central Asia: Kazakhstan Oil and Aktau-Baku-Ceyhan Oil Route.” He got his Ph.D. in International Relations in 2007 at Marmara University with a thesis titled “The Geopolitics of Eurasia in the Post–Cold War Period: Structural Transformation in Central Asia.

Over the years, he has worked as an expert in research centers and is the author of many scientific articles. He has been working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan since 2007, including the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Republic of Türkiye. Since November 2022, by the decision of the Scientific Council of Turkic Academy, he has been appointed as Vice-President of the Turkic Academy. Askhat Kessikbayev speaks Kazakh, Turkish, English, and Russian.

Erhan Türbedar received his Bachelor’s degree from the Gazi University in Ankara. He wrote his master’s thesis at the same university on the economic transformation process in Southeast Europe (SEE). He got Doctor’s degree with a thesis on transportation policies in the Balkan countries. Türbedar has been conducting academic studies in different think tanks in Turkey and has experience as a university lecturer. From 2013 onwards, Türbedar worked in senior advisory positions in international organizations, including the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), SESRIC - the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Organization of Turkic States. Currently, he holds the position of Vice-President of the Turkic Academy.

Türbedar is the author of four edited books and over 50 academic articles. He possesses profound knowledge of political affairs, managing intergovernmental organizations, studying and evaluating socioeconomic developments, coordinating media and public relations activities, dealing with statistical data, and enhancing cooperation and networking among different countries and stakeholders.