UPDATE - Organization of Turkic States countries must maintain close consultations: Top Turkish diplomat

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) – Ahead of the group's ninth summit, Türkiye’s foreign minister on Thursday urged close cooperation among members of the Organization of Turkic States.

“We are going through a difficult time. We must maintain close consultations and develop medium- and long-term strategies that will make us resilient in the face of shocks,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The Turkic World Vision 2040 document, which was approved by the organization’s heads of state at its eighth summit in Istanbul last November, was an “important step for the long term,” Cavusoglu said.

Finalizing the strategy document, which is the first five-year implementation guide of the bloc’s vision document, was one of the priorities of Türkiye’s term presidency of the bloc, Cavusoglu noted, adding: “It is our common duty to ensure that these decisions are implemented.”

Cavusoglu underlined that recent developments also present opportunities for the member states.

“We have to develop connections and transport corridors between member countries. This target is an important element of both the vision document and the strategy document,” he added.

Cavusoglu also welcomed three agreements to be adopted by member countries on Friday, including the trade facilitation strategy document, simplified customs corridor, and international combined freight transportation.

“Türkiye attaches importance to its trilateral processes with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan,” Cavusoglu said, adding that the country is determined to maintain these mechanisms.

“The institutional transformation of the Turkic Council into the Organization of Turkic States requires us to take visionary steps,” Cavusoglu noted, saying significant works were carried out in accordance with this purpose during Türkiye’s term presidency.

With the group's ninth summit, member countries will carry the efforts in this direction to a further point, Cavusoglu noted.

Also, the decision to establish a Turkish investment fund was one of the important steps of Türkiye’s term presidency, Cavusoglu said. "The asset management company model will be the best choice in terms of both more efficient management of funding resources and international funding."

Cavusoglu also announced that Kyrgyz Ambassador Kubanicbek Omuraliyev will be appointed as the secretary-general of the Organization of Turkic States with the approval of the leaders of member countries.

The foreign ministers’ meeting came ahead of a Turkic Council Summit in Samarkand through Friday, including the attendance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.