UPDATE - Turkish president arrives in Kyrgyzstan to attend Turkic summit

UPDATES WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT’S ARRIVAL IN KYRGYZSTAN; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Mustafa Hatipoglu, Mehmet Tosun, Nazir Aliyev Tayfur

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Turkish president on Monday arrived in Kyrgyzstan to attend an Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan was accompanied by first lady Emine Erdogan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler and the other officials.

Erdogan was welcomed by Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov and his wife Aygul Japarov at the Bishkek-Manas International Airport.

The Turkish president will attend the 11th summit of heads of state of the OTS, which will be held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Wednesday.

OTS Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev told Anadolu that at the summit, the member states will focus on four key areas: economic integration, sustainable development, digital transformation, and security.

The OTS, with Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan as full members as well as Hungary and Turkmenistan as observers, focuses on enhancing cooperation in areas such as trade, politics, culture, and security.

Since its establishment, the OTS has played a pivotal role in promoting regional collaboration and shared cultural heritage. The organization has made significant strides in boosting trade between member states, supporting infrastructure projects, and advancing cultural initiatives to preserve Turkic identity.

*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli and Esra Tekin in Istanbul