Astana (GNP): The Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev, met with Kazakhstan’s Minister of Tourism and Sport, Yerbol Myrzabossynov, to discuss expanding cooperation between the two sides in the tourism and sports sectors.
The meeting builds on an ongoing dialogue between the OTS Secretariat and Kazakh officials aimed at broadening joint initiatives across the bloc, which brings together five member states, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan, along with observer states Hungary and Turkmenistan.
The Organization of Turkic States traces its foundation to the 2009 Nakhchivan Agreement and works to promote wide-ranging cooperation among Turkic states spanning political, economic, cultural and humanitarian fields. Within that framework, Omuraliev and Myrzabossynov have engaged repeatedly on the sidelines of regional gatherings in recent years, consistently pointing to tourism and sport as key pillars supporting the broader push for unity across the Turkic world.
Their engagement traces back to a first formal meeting in September 2024 in Astana, where the two officials discussed cooperation ahead of the World Nomad Games, an event both sides described as a reflection of the shared history and culture linking Turkic and nomadic civilizations.
Since taking on the role of Kazakhstan’s tourism and sports minister in September 2024, Myrzabossynov has continued to represent the country at similar forums, including the World Ethnosport Forum in Antalya, Türkiye, and the OTS Ministers of Youth and Sports meeting held in Tashkent last October.
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The latest round of talks arrives at a particularly active moment on Kazakhstan’s sports and tourism calendar, with Astana currently hosting the Games of the Future 2026, a digital and phygital sports competition running from July 29 to August 9 that is expected to bring together more than 800 athletes from over 50 countries.
Kazakhstan’s broader tourism outreach has also picked up pace this year, including an agreement to host Germany’s DRV Destination Forum in Astana in August, alongside eased travel requirements for foreign visitors to the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Sports and tourism cooperation continues to feature prominently in OTS diplomacy, running alongside the organization’s parallel work on economic integration, environmental cooperation and cultural preservation carried out through affiliated bodies such as TURKSOY and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation. Kazakhstan is expected to host further high-level OTS engagements later this year, including preparations for an informal summit of the organization in Turkistan.
