On September 10 of this year, Astana hosted the third meeting of interior ministers of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States.
The event brought together delegations of the interior ministries of the OTS member states — Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Türkiye — as well as representatives of relevant international and regional organizations.
As part of the event, the heads of delegations were first received by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The meeting stressed that in today's complex geopolitical environment, further strengthening practical cooperation among Turkic states in ensuring security and stability and effectively countering modern threats and challenges is of great importance.
The President of Kazakhstan, noting the steady development of cooperation between interior ministries within the Organization of Turkic States, emphasized the need to strengthen solidarity and coordinated approaches in combating transnational crime.
The importance of expanding the exchange of experience and operational information between law enforcement agencies, making effective use of modern technologies, and enriching mutually beneficial security cooperation with new practical initiatives was also noted.
After the meeting, the third meeting of interior ministers of the OTS member states began its work.
The agenda paid special attention to further strengthening cooperation in searching for persons hiding from criminal prosecution, as well as missing citizens. Accelerating information exchange between the states' internal affairs bodies, coordinating search operations, and improving the effectiveness of identifying and locating such persons were noted as important tasks.
Issues of combating crimes committed using information and communication technologies were also discussed in detail. In particular, the need to detect offenses committed in the digital environment, respond to them promptly, and improve mechanisms for the rapid exchange of necessary information between states was emphasized.
The importance of developing concrete and effective cooperation mechanisms in combating crimes related to illegal bookmaking and gambling was noted.
Combating extremism and terrorism, as well as transnational organized crime, was also among the meeting's priority areas. Given the cross-border nature of these threats, views were exchanged on further strengthening operational information exchange, coordinating joint measures, and enhancing practical cooperation between internal affairs bodies.
The prevention of human trafficking and illegal smuggling of migrants, as well as putting an end to such crimes, was also addressed. The importance of strengthening information exchange in combating irregular migration, eliminating factors fueling the spread of illegal migration and related crimes, and establishing coordinated measures between law enforcement agencies was emphasized.
Another important initiative discussed at the meeting was the establishment of a Council for Combating Crime among the member and observer states of the Organization of Turkic States. Relevant proposals were made on preparing a draft Agreement on establishing this body and submitting it for signing at the next meeting of OTS interior ministers.
During the discussions, it was noted that these initiatives would serve to institutionally strengthen cooperation among Turkic states in security and law enforcement and expand opportunities for joint, systematic responses to common threats.
At the end of the event, a Joint Communiqué of the third meeting of interior ministers of the OTS member states was signed, aimed at consolidating the agreements reached and ensuring their practical implementation.
Following the meeting, agreement was reached on further strengthening multifaceted cooperation between the participating states and harmonizing efforts toward peace and stability in the region.
