The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Beibut Atamkulov, has held a meeting today with the President of the International Turkic Academy, Professor Darkhan Kydyrali, where they discussed the results of the work done by the Academy in 2018 and mapped out promising areas for further cooperation.

Axar.az reports citing the Foreign Ministry's press service.

The sides considered the progress of the preparations for the World Congress of Turkologists to be hosted by Astana in 2019.

During the meeting, the sides highlighted that the World Congress of Turkologists will be important for the Turkic world. The event is aimed at catalyzing the process of the world Turkology revival, as well as at the in-depth analysis and fundamental rethinking of the current state, achievements, problems, and perspectives of the world Turkology.

Beibut Atamkulov pointed out that the Turkic cooperation is under new conditions of development, and that the Head of State attaches great importance to the rapprochement of the Turkic peoples.

"Considering the need to strengthen fraternal relations between the Turkic peoples, the development of Turkological science as the flagship of the Turkic civilization, and the implementation of the principles of the Program Article by President Nursultan Nazarbayev ‘Seven Facets of the Great Steppe,' the Ministry will give particular attention and is ready to provide the assistance required to organize and conduct the events scheduled," the minister assured.

Darkhan Kydyrali thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan for the continuous support for the Academy's activities. He informed of the upcoming international forum "The Great Steppe: Cultural Heritage and Role in World History," which is also planned to be arranged in the middle of 2019 at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris) with the participation of scientists of the Turkic Academy Member States.

The Turkic Academy was established at the initiative of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2012. The Academy is a scientific center specializing in the field of social sciences and humanities and acts as a unified coordinator of Turkiological science in present-day conditions of interstate and interethnic integration. The headquarters is located in Astana.