Summit of Turkic-speaking states' leaders opens in Istanbul

The leaders of Turkic-speaking states will create a new international organization at the summit. The Council of Cooperation of Turkic-Speaking Countries (CCTC) will be headquartered in Istanbul. The leaders will also approve the CCTC Secretary General.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev initiated the establishing of the organization at a summit in Antalya in 2006. A forum in Nakhchivan three years later resulted in the signing of an agreement to establish the new international structure. The CCTC will be the basis for a new regional Turkic union, which is designed to strengthen the unity of peoples with similar languages and cultures environment, and to strengthen their political and trade relations.

The summit will also address a wide range of international and regional issues. In addition, the agenda includes the establishment of a consultative advisory body. The Council of Elders is expected to be led by head of the Turkish Presidential Secretariat Mustafa Isen.


/Trend/