Istanbul was declared the 2023 Turkic World Youth Capital in a signing ceremony Thursday in the Turkish capital Ankara. The opening ceremony was attended by Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoglu, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya and Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev as well as other members of the OTS and representatives of observer countries. Speaking at the ceremony, Kasapoglu said: “I sincerely believe that Istanbul will carry this title with justified pride and we will take our cooperation to higher levels.” “I would like to express the excitement of meeting with our youth under the umbrella of the organization through events that will last throughout the year. “We should raise awareness of our youth about our common language, history, culture and civilization and bring them together as part of a common future vision,” he added. Bukhara in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan became the first city to be selected as the Turkic World Youth Capital in 2022. Istanbul received the same title for this year on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.