Uzbekistan’s city of Andijan has been officially designated the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World for 2026 following the 42nd meeting of the Permanent Council of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), held in Aktau, Kazakhstan, UzA reported.
The meeting brought together senior cultural officials from across the Turkic world, including Uzbekistan’s Minister of Culture Ozodbek Nazarbekov; Kazakhstan’s Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva; Turkmenistan’s Minister of Culture Atageldi Shamyradov; Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Culture Murad Huseynov; Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy Askaraly Madaminov; Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Serdar Çam; and TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev.
Participants reviewed TURKSOY’s activities over the past year, mapped out its agenda for 2026, and discussed joint projects aimed at deepening cultural cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations. The meeting also focused on implementing documents and directives adopted at the recent Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Gabala.
Uzbekistan’s Culture Minister Ozodbek Nazarbekov presented several proposals designed to strengthen cultural collaboration among member states.
Under TURKSOY tradition, one city from a Turkic country is selected each year as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World. The chosen city hosts festivals, exhibitions, scholarly forums, and other cultural events to highlight national heritage internationally and boost tourism.
At the conclusion of the council meeting, Andijan was officially named the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World for 2026.
Separately, Kyrgyzstan’s Cholpon Ata has been declared the cultural capital of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
