Mehmet Süreyya Er, Turkey's former ambassador to Tashkent, was appointed secretary general of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA) on Tuesday.
Er was given the post on the recommendation of Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop. He will serve for four years.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Şentop said member countries choose the secretary-general through rotation in English alphabetical order. "Previously, it was proposed by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan ... now it's time for Turkey."
Noting that Turkey aims for TURKPA to be more active and effective, he said, "We wanted to set the bar high, especially to have a person with a diplomatic background."
Er was the vice-chairperson of the Turkish International Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) for about eight years, responsible for the Central Asian region, Şentop added.
The 10th Council of Assembly also took place during the day in Turkistan, Kazakhstan, according to a statement.
"Members of the Council-Chairperson of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mrs. Sahiba Gafarova, Chairperson of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Nurlan Nigmatulin, Chairperson of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Talant Mamytov, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mr. Mustafa Şentop, as well as Secretary-General Mr. Altynbek Mamaiusupov took part at the meeting," the press release said.
Azerbaijan handed over the TURKPA chairpersonship to Kazakhstan during the meeting, which resolved that the 11th assembly will take place next year in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
The first plenary session of TURKPA was conducted in Baku in September 2009, with its secretariat based in the same city.
TURKPA is an international organization established in Istanbul in November 2008, according to an agreement signed by the heads of parliaments of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
The Turkic Council was established in 2009 with the Nakhichevan Agreement with the aim of building intergovernmental ties among member states – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The organization has various institutions in different fields including TURKSOY established in 1993, TURKPA established in 2008, the International Turkic Academy established in 2010, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, whose founding document was signed in 2012, and the Turkic Business Council, whose founding document was signed in 2011.
