TURKPA took part at Issyk-Kul Electoral Forum

The TURKPA delegation led by Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er took part at the Issyk-Kul Electoral Forum held on 26-27 June 2025 in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic. The Forum was held under the theme “Modern Approaches to Voter Engagement: from Theory to Practice”. The Issyk-Kul Electoral Forum was attended by heads and representatives of international organizations, central election authorities of the Turkic States – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan, as well as Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Georgia, Estonia, Moldova, Mongolia and India, non-governmental organizations, and state officials of the Kyrgyz Republic. The Forum commenced with the video address of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov to the participants of the event. The opening ceremony was also addressed by the Chairperson of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of the Kyrgyz Republic Tynchtyk Shainazarov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Edil Baisalov, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Sergey Lebedev (through video address), Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev (through video address), Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Dmitriy Kobitskiy, Secretary General of TURKPA Mehmet Süreyya Er, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek Aleksei Rogov (through video address) and UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic Antje Grawe. In his address, Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er noted that elections are not only a mechanism of governance, but also a reflection of public trust. Noting the ensuring of broad participation of citizens, particularly women, youth and persons with disabilities in elections as an important duty contributing to inclusiveness, Secretary General highlighted the role of Women Parliamentarians Group and Young Parliamentarians Group of TURKPA in this context, which address topical issues related to women and youth in accordance with their areas of activity, promote the empowerment of women and youth, and their increased participation in all spheres of public life and mentioned it as a factor that gives impetus to the active participation of women and youth in political life, as well as in electoral processes as part of it. Secretary General underlined the Forum as a very important platform for collaboration, exchange of knowledge and experience. He spoke about the election and referendum observation activities of TURKPA and reiterated the TURKPA’s commitment to promoting inclusive participation and supporting democratic processes. The Plenary Session of the Forum themed “Adapting International Electoral Practices to National Contexts” and roundtables themed “Best Training Methodologies for Election Organizers” and “Youth Participation in Electoral Processes” provided valuable opportunity for sharing unique experiences of various countries in electoral processes and exchange of best practices. The program of the event also features the demonstration of modernized electoral equipment. The cultural program within the frame of the Forum on 27 June, included a boat trip on the Issyk-Kul Lake with a picturesque view of the lake. During the event, Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er was accompanied by the Secretary of the TURKPA Commission on Education, Culture, Social and Humanitarian Affairs Aigerim Taalaibekova and Legal Officer of the TURKPA Secretariat Azar Mammadov.