Turkic Council diaspora officials to meet in Ankara

By Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA (AA) - The diaspora officials of Turkic speaking states council will meet in Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, a Turkey’s agency said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Turkey's Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) said the member ministers and authorities in charge of diaspora in the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council-TDIK) will convene for the third meeting.

The meeting will be organized in coordination of YTB.

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy will host the delegations, according to the statement.

"The meeting will focus on strengthening the ties between the citizens of the member states living abroad, and address the awareness of common values," it said.

Abdullah Eren, the head of YTB, will inform the participants on Turkey's activities in diaspora and the institution.

So far, the Turkic Council -- Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are the founding members -- has organized four contact group meetings and two diaspora ministers.

The Turkic Council was established in 2009 as an international intergovernmental organization, with the overarching aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic speaking states.