Türkiye to host Organization of Turkic States summit in Ankara

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye will host an extraordinary summit of leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Thursday, the organization said on Tuesday.

At the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will welcome both the leaders and OTS Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev.

"Devoted to the theme of 'Disaster-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance,' the summit will serve as a high-level platform for the discussion of the extraordinary agenda of the organization aroused due to the recent earthquake disaster in southern and southeastern regions of Türkiye," the organization said in a statement.

The leaders will elaborate on solid multilateral cooperation and coordination mechanisms as part of the organization in the fight against disasters and hold consultations on current challenges in the region, it added.

"The Member and Observer States of the Organization of Turkic States have shown great solidarity and extended their helping hand to Türkiye in this difficult period and strengthened the brotherhood ties with the search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid they have provided throughout this time," the statement read.

Following the summit, the leaders are expected to sign Ankara declaration.

Early Thursday, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OTS will meet to carry out the final work on the agenda items to be discussed by the heads of state.

Meanwhile, members of the Council of Elders of the OTS, headed by Binali Yidirim, will also attend the summit, according to the statement.

The OTS, formerly called the Turkic Council, is an international organization comprising prominent independent Turkic countries that work together to elevate relations and the union among themselves.

Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan. EU country Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have observer status.