He praised the efforts of the international community in providing assistance and invited the Organization’s member countries to take part in a volunteer forum in Astana this year. President Tokayev also emphasized that the growing number of natural and man-made disasters is becoming an acute international problem, so the states need to improve disaster preparedness.
“It is necessary to join our efforts to prevent natural disasters. The earthquake in Turkey is evidence that we need to be always prepared for such threats. Therefore, I propose to establish a mechanism combining the joint forces of the Organization’s emergency agencies on the basis of the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction in Almaty. This center was created in 2016 by the governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. I consider it advisable to give the joint forces the status of the Organization’s Civil Protection Secretariat, which will coordinate the work to assist countries affected by natural disasters. This structure will organize international events, including advanced rescue training,” Tokayev said.
Following the summit, the Organization’s member states signed the Ankara Declaration of the Organization of Turkic States Extraordinary Summit, a decision on the establishment of the Civil Protection Mechanism, and an agreement on the creation of the Turkic Investment Fund.
