1st summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic States held in Astana

The Kazakh capital of Astana is today hosting the first summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic States.

The heads of the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey met in order to discuss cooperation between their countries and form the summit's agenda.

Addressing the assembled officials, Kazakh Foreign Minister Erzhan Kazykhanov offered his condolences to the Turkish people, as the country deplores Wednesday's Kurdish terrorist attack, which killed 26 Turkish soldiers.

The Turkic Council is a unity of Turkic-language states, which is not aimed against interests of third states. It is open for other Turkic states to join. The council puts emphasis on encouraging cultural-humanitarian and practical-scientific cooperation.