‘Cooperation necessary for Turkic unity’

By Sibel Ugurlu

ANKARA

Cooperation and stability necessary to provide union with a new vision, Kazakhstan’s parliament speaker said on Wednesday.

Nurlan Nigmatulin was speaking at a joint news conference with his counterparts from several countries on the sidelines of the second day of the 8th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries (TURKPA) in Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir.

He recalled the joint studies of TURKPA on health and education sectors and underlined the importance of economic cooperation.

"TURKPA has proved itself and we wish in the number of the participants. The cooperation and stability are important to provide union with a new vision," Nigmatulin said.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Binali Yildirim, for his part, underlined strengthening ties and accelerating cooperation, saying they were of crucial importance in a world full of threats.

The matters pertaining to migration, regional peace security, threats to the sovereignty of TURKPA countries, improving the common language, awareness on culture and history were discussed during their meeting, Yildirim said.

Fight against Terrorist Organization (FETO) and cooperation in the field of energy also came under discussion, he added.

Oktay Asadov, Azerbaijan's parliament speaker, said strong ties between parliaments of the countries also help improve ties between the countries.

Strengthening dialog

Kyrgyzstan Parliament Speaker Dastanbek Cumabekov underlined the importance of developing programs for cooperation among Turkish speaking countries.

Cumabekov pointed to TURKPA as a platform to increase cooperation and said: "In order to strengthen cooperation, the dialogue between the parliaments of Turkish speaking countries should also be strengthened.”

Hungarian Parliament Speaker Laszlo Kover recalled that his country joined TURKPA in 2018.

"We have relations based on mutual respect. Our close ties and kinship with Turkish-speaking countries are very important to us. We all have a very similar language structure, a common history cultural traditions."

Parliament Speaker Ketmanov said the policies followed by the neighboring and friendly countries had positive reflections on the people of those countries.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Parliament Speaker Teberruken Ulucay said his country was ready to give all kinds of contribution to TURKPA.

The assembly, where Anadolu Agency is the official host photographer, was organized by the Turkish Parliament.

The first plenary session of the TURKPA was conducted in Baku in Sept. 2009, with its secretariat authority based in the same city.

TURKPA is an international organization established in Istanbul Nov. 2008, according to the agreement signed by the heads of parliaments of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Turkey.