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OTS to establish civil defense mechanism

13 June 2025 11:37 (UTC +04:00)

The Civil Defense Mechanism of the Organization of Turkic States will be established, this was reflected in the draft law "On the Approval of the Agreement on the Establishment of the Civil Defense Mechanism of the Organization of Turkic States", which was put to discussion at today's session of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament), APA reports.

Arzu Naghiyev, Chairman of the Parliament's Defence, Security and Counter-Corruption Committee, stated that the "Agreement on the Establishment of the Civil Defense Mechanism of the Organization of Turkic States" was signed by representatives of the Governments of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan on November 6, 2024 in Bishkek:

"The purpose of the Turkic States Organization Civil Protection Mechanism is to create a common disaster response capacity to support emergency needs in the cases of disasters and emergencies that may occur in the territories of the Turkic States Organization member and observer states, as well as other states. Support is provided upon the request of the affected state in the event of a disaster or emergency, and participation in the Mechanism’s support activities is carried out on a voluntary basis, and detailed information about its main functions is provided in the Agreement presented to you. This includes measures such as saving lives and property during disasters and emergencies, medical assistance, monitoring and analysis, shelter, humanitarian assistance, etc. The competent authorities responsible for the implementation of the Agreement are the Ministries of Emergency Situations of the states of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Parties establish the Turkic States Organization Civil Protection Mechanism in the form of an international organization with the status of a legal entity. The administrative structures of the Mechanism include the Council of Ministers responsible for disaster and emergency management and the Secretariat. The Council of Ministers shall be composed of the ministers responsible for disaster and emergency management of the Parties. The Council shall meet at least once a year. The Minister representing the Party chairing the OTS shall also chair the Council. The Secretariat of the OTSCDM shall assist in the implementation of its objectives and tasks, the implementation and coordination of its work. The Secretariat shall be headed by a Secretary-General appointed by the Council of Ministers on a rotational basis in accordance with the English alphabetical order of the official names of the Parties. The term of office of the Secretary-General shall be three years, renewable for a maximum of two years. The Secretariat shall be headquartered in Istanbul."

The draft law was put to a vote and passed in one reading.