Turkish official notes expansion of youth cooperation across Turkic world

Türkiye attaches particular importance to developing youth cooperation within the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), particularly in technology, the economy and sports, Kürşad Zorlu, deputy chairman of Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and coordinator for relations with Turkic states, said.

According to Report's Turkish bureau, he noted that the second OTS Youth Meeting is planned to take place next year in Kayseri, Türkiye, which has been designated the cultural capital of the Turkic world. Thousands of students and young people from various Turkic states are expected to attend the meeting.

Emphasizing the importance of expanding cooperation among Turkic states in sports, Zorlu said efforts were continuing to introduce a special category to replace the foreign-player status of footballers from Turkic countries playing in the leagues of OTS member states.

He also noted that the Turkic states have a combined population of 27 million young people aged 15–24.

"The Kariyerim Türk (My Career in the Turkic World) project is being launched to expand youth employment opportunities and develop shared human resources," he said.

The AKP deputy chairman added that cooperation in technology and artificial intelligence would also contribute to the overall development of the Turkic world.