Meeting of the Ministers in charge of Youth and Sports of the Organization of Turkic States held in Bursa

The 6th Meeting of the Ministers in Charge of Youth and Sports of the Organization of Turkic States was convened on 30 September 2022 in Bursa, Türkiye within the framework of the 4th World Nomad Games.

The meeting was co-hosted by the Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu and the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Baghdad Amreyev.

Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan Farid Gayibov, Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic Azamat Jamankulov, Minister of Sports Development of Uzbekistan Adkham Ikramov, Director of the Youth Affairs Agency of Uzbekistan Alisher Sadullayev, Deputy Minister of Culture and Sport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Zharasbayev, Minister of Sport and Youth Policy of Turkmenistan Gulmyrat Agamyradov and Ambassador of Hungary to Türkiye Viktor Matis attended the meeting, which was moderated by the Secretary General of the OTS Baghdad Amreyev.

Sharing with the Ministers the latest developments and activities carried out in the sphere of Youth and Sports within the cooperation framework of the OTS, Secretary General Amreyev highlighted the successful organization of the 4th Young Leaders Forum held in Bukhara which was declared as the First Youth Capital of the Turkic World.

During their speeches Ministers restated their commitment to the common Turkic youth and sports agenda and underlined the importance of the work done in line with the cooperation framework of the OTS in this direction. Highlighting the great impact of the common projects on the unity of the Turkic youth and sports, Ministers showed solidarity in supporting the valuable developments that bolster the ties among the brotherly nations and extended their full support for the deepening of the ongoing cooperation with new initiatives and projects.

Underlining the strong influence of the common Turkic brand of the World Nomad Games, Ministers thanked Türkiye for the successful and grandiose organization of the 4th edition of the Games in İznik. The Ministers confirmed the importance of the Games as a unifying platform for our countries and its significance for increasing awareness on our common culture, history and sports as well as conveyance of the common values to future generations. Ministers underlined the role OTS Secretariat has played in the preparation process of the organization of the 4th WNG.

The next Turkic World Youth Capital will become Istanbul

With the common decision of the Ministerial Panel, the next Turkic World Youth Capital will become Istanbul in the year 2023. Furthermore, it was decided to hold the 2nd Young Entrepreneurs Forum of the OTS in Istanbul and Bursa in early June 2023 to honor the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic, together with the 5th Young Leaders Forum.

In line with the declaration of Shusha as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World in 2023, it was decided to hold the 5th International Youth Camp in Spring 2023 in Shusha to further enrich the efficiency of the youth camp activities. Furthermore, it was also decided to organize the 2nd General Assembly of the Youth Platform and the 4th International Youth Festival simultaneously in Kazakhstan this year. Moreover, Ministers agreed on holding the 2nd Youth Volunteering Educational Program and the 2nd Multilateral Youth Exchange Program in Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan respectively according to the provisions of the MoU on the Multilateral Youth Exchange Program.

Secretary General Amreyev also noted the importance of institutionalization and the necessity of boosting the popularity of the World Nomad Games in the world. He further informed the Ministers about the official willingness of Kazakhstan to host the 5th WNG. Hence, Ministers agreed to stage the 5th WNG in Kazakhstan in 2024.

Informing the Ministerial Panel about the decision to organize the 2nd Turkic Universiade in Kazakhstan in 2022, Secretary General showed his support for the organization which will bring together university youth after the delays of the pandemic.

On the margins of the Ministerial meeting, the decision was also made to create an independent intergovernmental institution responsible for the youth and sports agenda that will be based in the Kyrgyz Republic under the umbrella of the OTS.

7th meeting will be in Azerbaijan

Ministers agreed that the 7th meeting of the Ministers in charge of Youth and Sports of the OTS will be convened in Azerbaijan in 2023.

The meeting was concluded with the handover ceremony between the old and new Youth Capitals of the Turkic World where Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu received the symbolic key of the Turkic World Youth Capital from Alisher Sadullayev.