The 10th Meeting of the Organization of Turkic States (TDT) Youth and Sports Ministers was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
The meeting, chaired by Kyrgyzstan Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy Mirbek Mambetaliyev, was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan Indira Hacıyeva, Director of Uzbekistan Youth Affairs Agency Alişer Sadullayev, Chairman of the Youth and Family Affairs Committee of the Ministry of Culture of Kazakhstan Kayrat Kambarov, Advisor to the Minister of Sports of Uzbekistan Şerifjon Muminjanov, Director of the State Agency of Physical Culture and Sports of Kyrgyzstan Urmat. Asanbaev, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan Bakhniyaz Karashina and TDT Deputy Secretary General Nuri Guliyev attended.
Representatives of the delegation who attended the meeting, which was organized with the aim of strengthening the unity of young people in the Turkish world, developing joint projects, increasing cooperation in the field of sports and sharing experience between youth policies, made evaluations on joint projects and youth policies.
Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, in his speech here, emphasized the importance of unity in the Turkish world and said, "The point reached today by our ministerial meetings, which started ten years ago, is the best indicator of our will to work together. The guarantee of a strong Turkish world is our young people who know each other, produce together and protect their common values. With these feelings and thoughts, I hope that our 10th Ministerial Meeting will lead to beneficial results for the youth and athletes of the Turkish world." he said.
Bak thanked the host Kyrgyz Republic authorities, the Organization Secretariat and those who contributed to the organization of the meeting, and said, "May our unity, solidarity and brotherhood last forever." he said.
Minister Osman Aşkın Bak stated that Türkiye has significant experience in organizing youth camps and that they want to share this experience with cognate countries.
"It is the responsibility of all of us to transform the important opportunities offered to us by the young population of the Turkish world and its great potential into new opportunities for our youth." Bak emphasized that they are ready to host the 3rd General Assembly of the Youth Platform, which has been focused on recently, in Ankara.
Bak announced that Türkiye will host the 4th Turkish World University Sports Games next year.
Stating that preparations are continuing for the 4th Turkish World University Sports Games, which is planned to be hosted by Bayburt and Erzurum, in July 2027, Bak expressed his belief that this important organization will further strengthen the friendship and solidarity between young athletes.
Bak also stated that Türkiye contributed to the "Swimming for All Project", which was implemented with the initiative of Azerbaijan, and said: "As Turkey, we have been actively participating in the "Swimming for All Project", which we see as a continuation of the "No One Who Knows How to Swim" Project that we carry out in our country, for three years. We are pleased that the cooperation between our federations has turned into permanent structures." he said.
Bak emphasized that the First General Assembly and Championship of the Chess Union of Turkish Speaking Countries, which was established with the initiative of the chess federations, was successfully held in Gaziantep in December 2026 and congratulated those who contributed to this.
Minister Bak also stated that they were pleased to see that the ministries responsible for sports and cycling federations of the member countries supported the establishment of the Turkish States Cycling Union, which was initiated by Turkey's initiatives.
Bak stated that the 6th World Nomad Games, hosted by Kyrgyzstan this year, is of great importance in terms of keeping traditional sports alive and transferring the cultural heritage to future generations.
Emphasizing that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's participation in the opening ceremony within the scope of his visit to Kyrgyzstan is a strong indicator of the importance given to this organization, Bak stated that they appreciated the work of the World Ethnosport Union under the chairmanship of Bilal Erdoğan.
Bak stated that they wholeheartedly support Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, which is a candidate to host the 7th World Nomad Games in 2028, and that they believe that organizing such international events in various countries will increase the brand value of the games.
Minister of Youth and Sports Bak noted that they would be very happy to organize the 11th Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Youth and Sports of the Organization of Turkic States next year and to host guest ministers and young athletes in Türkiye.
Drawing attention to the importance of the Organization of Turkic States in his speech, Bak said that Türkiye is preparing to take over the Term Presidency at the 13th TDT Summit to be held in Ankara on 29-30 October.
Emphasizing that they see this responsibility as an important opportunity to strengthen solidarity in the Turkish world, Bak stated that they will continue to prioritize work in the field of youth and sports during the Term Presidency.
Minister Osman Aşkın Bak stated that peace, friendship and solidarity are the basis of work in the field of youth and sports, and pointed out that conflicts in the world further increase the importance of these values.
Emphasizing the humanitarian drama in Gaza, Bak stated that they showed that they stand by Palestinian athletes and the people with the friendly match held between the Palestinian National Football Team and Konyaspor with the understanding of 'Our Home is Your Home' in Konya, which was chosen as the Youth Capital of the Islamic World.
In his speech, Bak also stated that solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot compatriots, who are an integral part of the Turkish world, continues, and added that they wish the observer member Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to take an active part in the youth and sports activities of the organization.
