BAKU -- Uzbekistan has officially joined the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, also known as the Turkic Council.
The decision to accept Uzbekistan to the group was made on October 15 during a two-day summit of member states in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.
The Turkic Council was established in October 2009 with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey as the group's founding members. Uzbekistan applied for membership in the group in September.
At the Turkic Council's summit in Kyrgyzstan in September 2018, Hungary joined the group as an observer.
Also on October 15, Kazakhstan’s former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who represented his country at the summit, was elected as lifetime honorable chairman of the Turkic Council.
Although Nazarbaev resigned in March, he still enjoys his bespoke "leader of the nation" title and its comforts, including immunity from prosecution. He also presides over Kazakhstan's powerful Security Council and chairs Kazakhstan's long-ruling Nur Otan party.
Uzbekistan Officially Accepted As Turkic Council's Fifth Member
The Turkic Council was established in 2009 with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey as the group's founding members. Uzbekistan applied for membership in September.