TURKPA Mission held meeting with Kazakhstani Deputy Foreign Minister

On 13 March 2026, the TURKPA International Referendum Observation Mission composed of the parliamentarians of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye, as well as representatives of TURKPA International Secretariat led by Secretary General Ambassador Ramil Hasan and Chairman of the TURKPA Commission on Legal Affairs and International Relations, member of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mr. Osman Mesten met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Mr. Alibek Bakayev.

Welcoming the International Referendum Observation Mission, Mr. Bakayev wished success to its forthcoming short-term observation. He briefed the Mission on the preparations for the referendum and emphasized the significance of this milestone for the people of Kazakhstan.

Secretary General Ambassador Ramil Hasan thanked H.E. Mr. Alibek Bakayev for the warm reception and expressed his best wishes to the people of Kazakhstan. He informed that earlier the delegation had meetings with the Speakers of the Senate and the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Mr. Maulen Ashimbayev and H.E. Mr. Yerlan Koshanov, as well as the Chairman of the Central Election Commission H.E. Mr. Nurlan Abdirov. Mr. Hasan briefly highlighted the recent activities of TURKPA pointing out interconnectedness of interparliamentary and intergovernmental processes, which reflect the work of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA). Secretary General also underlined the profound role of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in these activities and expressed his gratitude for all the efforts undertaken by the Ministry in this regard.

In turn, Mr. Osman Mesten expressed his sincere appreciation for the invitation and stated that it is a great pleasure to be in friendly and brotherly Kazakhstan. He noted that TURKPA has been engaged in election observation missions since 2010 and that he personally has taken part in these missions since 2018.

Mr. Mesten also welcomed the key aspects of the upcoming referendum, including the reintroduction of the post of Vice President, the introduction of a unicameral parliamentary model, the Kurultai, the establishment of the Kazakhstani People’s Council, and the definition of marriage as a voluntary and equal union between a man and a woman, registered by the state.

Moreover, Mission members from Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Mrs. Malahat Ibrahimgizi and Mr. Yrysbek Atazhanov also shared their views on the several core principles reflected in the draft Constitution.

Secretary of TURKPA Commission Ms. Aynura Abutalibova and Secretary of the TURKPA Delegation at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mr. Kürşat Melih Sarıarslan also took part in the meeting.