Turkey, Kyrgyzstan to sign security deal 'as soon as possible': Minister

By Elif Kucuk

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey and Kyrgyzstan will sign an agreement on security cooperation “as soon as possible,” Turkey’s interior minister said on Sunday.

Suleyman Soylu met his Kyrgyz counterpart Ulan Niyazbekov in Istanbul.

Expressing his pleasure at hosting Niyazbekov, Soylu said Turkey and Kyrgyzstan enjoy friendly ties as evident by the fact that Ankara was the first to recognize Kyrgyzstan’s independence.

“I want to reiterate that Turkey has made significant progress in many areas, from immigration to the fight against cybercrime, drugs, and terrorism,” Soylu said.

“Hopefully, we will sign a security cooperation agreement as soon as possible,” he added.