Turkish president heads to Turkistan for OTS Informal Summit

Recep Tayyip Erdogan departs Astana after talks with Kazakh counterpart, participation in business forum

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan departed from Astana for Turkistan, a city in Kazakhstan, on Friday to attend the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). Erdogan, who arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on Wednesday for an official visit, continued his engagements in the country ahead of the summit. On Thursday, Erdogan held a one-on-one meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Independence Palace and attended the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. Following the talks, the two leaders held a joint press conference and later attended the closing ceremony of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan Business Forum. The Turkish president departed Astana for the city of Turkistan in the morning hours to participate in the OTS Informal Summit. Kazakh Prime Minister Oljas Bektenov, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Astana Mustafa Kapucu and other officials saw Erdogan off at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport. First Lady Emine Erdogan and the accompanying Turkish delegation also traveled to Turkistan with the president.