ISTANBUL 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Organization of Turkic States Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev held a meeting on Friday. 

In the meeting held in the Turkish capital Ankara, the parties “exchanged views on the future steps to be taken with a view to enhancing trade, investment, and connectivity within the Turkic World and highlighted the great potential for increased collaboration in areas of strategic importance,” a statement from the organization said.

Congratulating Fidan on his new appointment, the secretary general expressed his confidence in the minister's ability to lead new achievements in the Turkic world.

"During the meeting, the Secretary General and the Foreign Minister engaged in fruitful discussions regarding the preparations for the 10th Summit, which will be hosted in Turkistan, Kazakhstan later this year,” the statement added.

The two sides deliberated on the achievements that the organization has gained particularly in recent years with the important decisions taken at the Istanbul, Samarkand and Ankara summits.

The Organization of Turkic States, formerly called the Turkic Council, is a regional organization established in 2009.

Its four founding member states are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye. The OTS currently has five member states, with Uzbekistan as the latest member. The organization also has three observer states: Hungary, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkmenistan.