Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu praised the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) for connecting Turkic peoples and promoting Turkic culture across the world.

Speaking at a ceremony in Turkey's northwestern Bursa city, which is the cultural capital of the Turkic world for the current year, Çavuşoğlu said: "TURKSOY introduces Turkic culture to the whole world. It reconnects the Turkic world. It transfers our fraternal ties, ancient culture and civilization to future generations."

After being elected as the secretary-general of TURKSOY for 2022-2025, Kyrgyzstan's nominee Sultanbai Raev took over the post from his predecessor Dusen Kaseinov in the ceremony.

Thanking Kaseinov for his contributions and extraordinary services to the solidarity of the Turkic world, Çavuşoğlu wished Raev success.

"We believe that Raev's experience as a journalist, bureaucrat and minister and international civil servant will make significant contributions to TURKSOY," he added.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy also attended the ceremony.

TURKSOY late March declared the Azerbaijani city of Shusha as the cultural capital of the Turkic world for 2023.

The city was declared Azerbaijan's cultural capital last year, months after it was liberated from nearly three decades of Armenian occupation.