Turkic States Foreign Ministers Hold Informal Council Meeting in Istanbul

An informal meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) took place in Istanbul on March 7, 2026.

The Kazakh delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Bakayev. The session was chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and attended by the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and the OTS Secretary-General.

During the meeting, participants exchanged views on pressing regional and global issues. They discussed prospects for strengthening political dialogue, expanding institutional cooperation, and promoting joint initiatives aimed at deepening interaction and integration within the Turkic world.

Special attention was paid to preparations for upcoming OTS events and enhancing coordination among member states in key areas of cooperation.

As part of the event, Alibek Bakayev and other delegation heads were received by President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Their conversation focused on further strengthening strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Türkiye, as well as prospects for developing interaction within Turkic cooperation frameworks.

The parties confirmed mutual interest in deepening cooperation among fraternal Turkic states and enhancing the role of the Turkic world in international and regional processes.

Following the meeting, a joint statement by OTS foreign ministers regarding recent events in the Middle East was adopted. The participants also approved regulations for cooperation with third parties under the OTS+ format.