AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Relations with Turkic States Kürşad Zorlu made important statements at the signing ceremony of the "Ankara, Tourism Capital of the Turkic World" Technical Support Agreements held in Ankara.
Zorlu announced that issues such as the common museum card system and passport-free travel will be addressed at the 13th Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States, to be hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in October.
Common museum card and travel with ID
Zorlu said, "Whenever I went to any Turkic state, I kept receiving this request, especially from our young friends. This card system will provide a great advantage both financially and in terms of convenience." Noting that work on passport-free travel is continuing, Zorlu recalled that travel with ID is possible between Türkiye and Azerbaijan and between Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and said, "Could we possibly extend this to the entire Turkic world? We are working on that as well."
Energy and logistics corridor extending from the Caspian to Basra
Emphasizing that a new formation has emerged in the fields of transportation, energy, and logistics along the corridor extending from the Caspian to the Caucasus and the Persian Gulf, Zorlu said, "At the center of this is undoubtedly our great Turkic world family."
Referring to the agreements signed during the Iraqi Prime Minister's visit, Zorlu disclosed that Türkiye acquired a 15 percent stake in an international company operating in Kirkuk's oil fields and became a partner in a field where nearly 3 billion barrels of crude oil are projected to be extracted. Noting that with the Development Road Project, the corridor centered on the Ovaköy Border Gate will be woven with railway and transportation networks, Zorlu said this system cannot be considered separately from the extensive transport and logistics corridor of the Turkic world.
TÜDSES surpasses 60,000
Zorlu reported that the digital platform called the Turkic World Civil Society Support System (TÜDSES) was downloaded by more than 60,000 people in 15 days and that over a thousand civil society organizations have become members. "We have started receiving demands, requests, and projects through it," he said.
Tourism targets and Nevruz
Noting that the number of tourists coming to Türkiye from Turkic states is approximately 3.5 million, while those going from Türkiye is 1 million, Zorlu emphasized that these figures need to be increased. He added that preparations for Nevruz to become an official holiday have reached the final stage.
Zorlu concluded his remarks by saying, "Hopefully, the 'Century of Türkiye' will be crowned with the 'Century of the Turkic World'."
