Turkic states’ interior ministers discuss joint crime-fighting efforts PHOTO

Interior ministers of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) member states have discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in combating crime during their third meeting in Astana.

The meeting brought together the heads of the interior ministries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan, as well as OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry’s press service.

The meeting was chaired by Kazakhstan’s Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov. Kyrgyzstan was represented by Interior Minister and Colonel General of Police Ulan Niyazbekov.

The participants discussed expanding cooperation in the fight against crime, including the search for people evading criminal prosecution and missing persons, as well as efforts to combat cybercrime, illegal betting and gambling, extremism, terrorism and transnational organised crime.

They also addressed measures to counter human trafficking and illegal migration, along with a draft agreement on establishing a Council for Combating Crime among OTS member and observer states.

The meeting concluded with a decision to hold the next gathering of OTS interior ministers in Türkiye in 2027. The participants also signed a joint declaration.

By Jeyhun Aghazada