The Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) H.E. Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev met with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, H.E. Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge on 12 July 2023 at the OTS Premises in Istanbul.

The Secretary General Omuraliev commenced the meeting by highlighting activities of the Secretariat to develop cooperation in the field of health in the OTS region, as well as the fruitful collaboration established between OTS and WHO enshrined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two organizations. He expressed the need to adopted a Joint Action Plan as part of the realization of the objectives of the said MoU to the benefits of both organizations and the people of OTS region.

During the meeting Director Kluge stressed the importance for WHO to strengthen cooperation with OTS and proposed focusing on priority areas, such as primary, environment and labor health, tuberculosis and other disease in terms of joint activities.

Both parties agreed to accelerate works on the completion of the Joint Action Plan, explore opportunities of cooperation on various regional initiatives and exchange expertise to address shared challenges effectively.