President Erdogan to attend Turkic summit in Kyrgyzstan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Kyrgyzstan to attend an Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit.

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

Erdogan was welcomed on Monday 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.

Strategic priorities

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.

Noting that the summit will aim to deepen trade and investment ties, he said a digital economy partnership agreement will be signed for economic integration, which will facilitate digital trade between member states, allowing businesses to operate more efficiently within a common framework.

He stressed that the OTS is committed to promoting the Green Finance Council and Green Vision Initiative, which will facilitate environmentally friendly projects in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable urban development.

As for digital transformation, Omuraliev said a Turkish large language model (LLM) for machine learning and Türkiye’s locally produced Earth observation satellite are being developed to boost environmental monitoring, digital connectivity, and innovation across Turkic nations.

An agreement on civil protection mechanisms will strengthen security cooperation when signed, he said, as it aims to ensure coordination in disaster and emergency response.

He added that cooperation among member states is the group’s main priority, as they focus on creating structures to facilitate uninterrupted communication, project cooperation, and establishing support.

The establishment of liaison offices in key global centers and the designation of embassies pave the way for achieving higher cooperation, as these offices will boost diplomatic presence and operational smoothness between member states, contributing to coordination in joint projects and initiatives.

The group is also working to establish a central banks council, he said.

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 organisation has made significant strides in boosting trade between member states, supporting infrastructure projects, and advancing cultural initiatives to preserve Turkic identity.