President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday emphasized the shared heritage and common future of Turkic nations as he addressed the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara.
"The family photo we took yesterday and today symbolizes both our loyalty to our past and our determination to build our common future together," Erdoğan said during the meeting of the OTS Council of Heads of State.
The summit, hosted by Erdoğan under the theme "Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Action," brought together leaders and senior officials from member and observer states to strengthen cooperation across the Turkic world.
Ahead of the meeting, Erdoğan welcomed visiting leaders at the Beştepe National Exhibition Hall in the Presidential Complex, where participants gathered for a traditional family photo.
The gathering included Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Tufan Erhürman attended as representatives of observer states, alongside OTS Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev.
During the official photo session, Tokayev stood to Erdoğan's right, while Mirziyoyev stood to his left.
The leaders were welcomed with a ceremonial display featuring flags representing 16 historical Turkic states, military personnel and soldiers dressed in traditional Ottoman Janissary uniforms.
The summit brought together representatives of the Turkic world under a shared vision of strengthening solidarity, preserving historical ties and advancing cooperation among member and observer states.
