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Kursad Zorlu, deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling AK Party and head of its relations with Turkic states, said on Saturday that Ankara regards the current situation in Crimea as an illegal annexation, or occupation. He was speaking at the Turkic World Youth Meeting held at a hotel in Kocaeli under the theme "Common Heritage, One Heart," organized by the party's Turkic states department and hosted by the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a video message to the event.

Answering students' questions in a session titled "Face to Face with Turkic World Youth," Zorlu recommended the Orhun Exchange Program, noting that nearly 170 universities across seven member states of the Organization of Turkic States are accredited. He said efforts were underway to expand the program's budget and urged greater cooperation in regions where Turkic languages are spoken, including the Balkans. He also reported that about 100,000 users have downloaded the Turkic World Civil Society Support System app, with more than 1,200 organizations registered.

Zorlu welcomed Uzbekistan's recent alphabet reform, saying it brings its script closer to Turkey's, and announced plans for an Imam Maturidi symposium in Konya. He said a digital project to preserve Turkic works, including those from Crimea, is planned with Kocaeli municipality, and that a joint Turkish-Syrian university is being established in Damascus. On Crimea, Zorlu said Turkey has "no territorial claims anywhere" but considers developments on the peninsula an occupation, while stressing Turkey's mediating role in the Ukraine-Russia war.

Key Takeaways

• AK Party's Zorlu said Turkey views the situation in Crimea as an illegal annexation and occupation.
• Nearly 170 universities in seven Turkic states are accredited to the Orhun Exchange Program, with budget expansion planned.
• A joint Turkish-Syrian university is being established in Damascus, and a digital project to preserve Turkic works is in the works.