The 8th summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States (Turkic Council) will take place on November 12, 2021 in Istanbul. During the meeting, Turkmenistan will join the Turkic Council as an observer, the Interfax-Azerbaijan news agency reported on Monday, citing a statement by the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Historical steps will be taken for the council at this summit, Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a news conference on Monday in Istanbul following the Extraordinary Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Turkic Council.
The Head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Turkmenistan will join the Turkic Council as an observer at the at the Istanbul Summit, adding that thus “our family photo will become complete.”
The possibility of Turkmenistan joining the Turkic Council in a special status was discussed in late-June during a meeting of the Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov with the Turkic Council Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev, who arrived in Ashgabat on a working visit.
The Turkic Council was established in 2009 as an intergovernmental organization. It consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan as member countries and Hungary as an observer state.