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) was held in Istanbul on March 7, 2026.

The Kazakh delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alibek Bakayev.

The session was chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, with the participation of foreign ministers from OTS member states—Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan—as well as the organization's Secretary-General.

During the meeting, participants exchanged views on current regional and global issues. They discussed prospects for further 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, A. Bakayev and other delegation heads were received by President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Their conversation focused on further strengthening strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Turkey and 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. Additionally, regulations on cooperation with third parties under the OTS+ format were approved.