Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoğlu announced Friday that Istanbul was declared the "2023 Turkic World Youth Capital."

Attending a ministerial meeting of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Türkiye's northwestern Bursa province, Kasapoğlu said, "We believe that Istanbul will proudly carry this title and strengthen our brotherhood and loyalty among the youth of the Turkic world and boost our cooperation."

The minister added that they look forward to many activities, works and projects, such as the young entrepreneur forum and young leader forum, under the umbrella of the organization in Istanbul, which has been declared the youth capital.

The Organization of Turkic States, then known as the Turkic Council, was established in October 2009 after Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed the Nakhchivan Agreement. Uzbekistan finalized its accession to the organization during the seventh summit of the Turkic Council on Oct. 15, 2019, in Baku. Hungary and Turkmenistan are observer states.