In Central Asia, Erdogan urges stronger ties with 'Turkic' states
The Peninsula
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed Wednesday for stronger ties with ex Soviet Turkic states at a summit in Central Asi...
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed Wednesday for stronger ties with ex-Soviet Turkic states at a summit in Central Asia.
Erdogan was attending a meeting in Bishkek of the Organization of Turkic States, a Turkish-led initiative to promote its culture and ties with former Soviet republics in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
"We are going to take our Organization of Turkic States much further," Erdogan told leaders, calling the group an "exemplary platform".
The OTS member and observer countries are Turkiye and ex-Soviet Central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as the Caucasus country of Azerbaijan and the breakaway Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.
Hungary, Turkiye's fellow NATO member, with whom it is seeking deeper ties, is also an observer country due to ancient links to the region, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban was at the summit.