The Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) upon the initiative of the Republic of Azerbaijan was held in Ankara, Türkiye on March 16, 2023 on the theme “Disasters-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance”.
The summit, hosted by President of the Republic of Türkiye H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and chaired by President of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, was attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Sadyr Zhaparov, National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan H.E. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Prime Minister of Hungary H.E. Viktor Orban, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus H.E. Ersin Tatar, and also the General Secretary of OTS H.E. Kubanychbek Omuraliev. The meeting was also attended by members of the Council of Elders of the OTS headed by Binali Yildirim, President of the International Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, Secretary General of TurkPA Mehmet Süreya Er, Secretary General of TURKSOY Sultan Raev, President of the Turkic Investment Fund Baghdad Amreyev, President of the Foundation of Turkic Culture and Heritage Günay Efendiyeva. Dedicated to the theme “Disasters-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance”, the Summit became a high-level platform for discussing the Organization's emergency agenda, which arose in connection with the recent earthquake that occurred in the southern and southeastern regions of Türkiye. As part of the Summit program, a minute of silence was held in memory of those who died as a result of the earthquake. The great solidarity shown by the OTS Member States and Observer States in mobilizing assistance by sending search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Türkiye immediately after the disaster was emphasized with appreciation. The leaders also welcomed the dedicated search and rescue operations carried out after the disaster by emergency response teams deployed by Member States and Observers. The Heads of State of the OTS expressed solidarity with the Republic of Türkiye in its efforts to recover after the earthquake. Parties also agreed to strengthen cooperation among national disaster management authorities of the OTS to address needs in an effective, coordinated, and timely manner in case of possible disasters and emergencies, and instructed in this regard the relevant authorities to conclude the Agreement on the Establishment of the Civil Protection Mechanism of the Organization of Turkic States by the 10th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Turkistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan. At the end of the Summit program, the Ankara Declaration was signed by the OTS Leaders.
