Turkmenistan highlights importance of its observer status in Organization of Turkic States

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) – Turkmenistan’s joining the Organization of Turkic States as an observer country is a significant development as the country can now have access to broad opportunities through interaction with Turkic-speaking states, an official said Tuesday.

The remarks by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev came at a briefing in which he commented on international events related to his country, especially the Organization of Turkic States summit held in Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 12.

According to Hajiyev, the summit marked a new milestone in the interaction of Turkmenistan with Turkic-speaking states where there were opportunities in a variety of fields, including the economy, trade, investment, ecology, science and education.

He said the council also united the Turkic-speaking public and verified that cultural values united the people of the world and strengthened humanitarian dialogue between countries.

In the second phase of the briefing, the participants were informed about the progress of the preparatory work for the 15th Summit of the Heads of the Member-States of the Economic Cooperation Organization to be chaired by Turkmenistan on Nov. 28 in the capital Ashgabat.

The briefing was virtually followed by representatives of foreign mass media from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, the UK, India, the United Arab Emirates, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.