Bodrum to host Turkic Council Summit
By Nazrin Gadimova
The next summit of the Turkic Council will be held in the Turkish Bodrum on June 4-5.
A meeting of senior officials within the summit will be held on June 2-3, while June 4 will see a meeting of the foreign ministers. Meeting of the heads of states will be held on June 5, the secretariat of the organization reported on May 30.
This year, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the President of Turkmenistan, which is not a member of the Council, is expected to attend the summit.
Secretary General of the Council Halil Akıncı said the Bodrum summit will discuss establishment of centers to strengthen diasporas of the Turkic-speaking countries in the international arena and expand their sphere of influence.
Moreover, the issue of further development of joint strategies, as well as education, economic cooperation and the establishment of a joint Turkic television will be discussed.
Previous summit of Turkic-speaking countries was held in Azerbaijani Nakhchivan in August, 2013.
Founded in Nakhchivan on October 3, 2009 the Council consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey. The remaining two Turkic states, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are not currently official members of the council due to their neutral stance.