Ankara proposes ‘Türkpol’ security body among Turkic states

ASTANA

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi (AA Photo)

In a move to unify law enforcement across Central Asia and the Caucasus, Türkiye has proposed establishing “Türkpol” — a regional policing agency modeled on Europol for the Organization of Turkic States, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi has announced following a meeting in Kazakhstan.

“One of the most important issues we addressed today was the establishment of a council for combating crime. The proposal we put forward for the establishment of this council was included in the joint declaration,” Çiftçi told reporters after the meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana on Sept. 10.

The proposed council will cover a range of issues, including combating organized crime, drug-related and terrorist offenses, irregular migration and illegal betting and gambling, he said.

“As a step beyond this, based on this founding agreement, I also put forward a proposal for the establishment of Türkpol, an organization among the Turkic states modeled on Europol and Aseanapol,” Çiftçi said.

He added that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan gave positive signals to the proposal.

The meeting also addressed proposals to facilitate travel among member states by allowing their citizens to cross borders using only national identity cards, without passports.

Officials also discussed the possibility of establishing joint passport-control points at airports, allowing citizens of OTS member states to undergo passport checks at common control points.

A draft agreement incorporating all of these proposals is set for submission at the leaders’ summit in Ankara next month, Çiftçi added.

The organization was founded in 2009 by Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, before being renamed the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) at a landmark summit in Istanbul in November 2021. The change was seen as a significant step in the evolution of Turkic integration, reflecting a growing ambition to turn longstanding cultural ties into greater geopolitical influence.

Türkiye is set to take over the OTS’ rotating presidency at a summit scheduled to be hosted in October.