The Organisations of Turkic States’ (OTS) council of elders held a meeting in Kyrenia on Friday – the council’s 17th since its establishment in 2010.

It was attended by council chairman and former Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim, former Turkish Cypriot ‘tourism minister’ Ismail Bozkurt, former Azerbaijani prime minister Hasan Hasanov, Kazakh diplomat Ikram Adirbek, former Kyrgyz prime minister Apas Jumagulov, and Uzbek economist Sodiqjon Turdiev.

Opening the meeting, Yildirim said the meeting has “a special meaning”, adding, “we have gathered here today to add new strength and momentum to the Turkic world’s common journey”.

“This is the best and clearest response to the fabrications made over our organisation and members through northern Cyprus or southern Cyprus, especially recently, by holding a meeting of the council of elders, an important organ of the OTS, in northern Cyprus today,” he said.

On Wednesday, he had confirmed the meeting’s attendees, explaining that Hungary, a frequent party to council of elders meetings, would not be present, as the country was “concerned about the reaction of the European Union and its members, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot administration”.

The meeting comes after the signing of the joint declaration by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as OTS observer Turkmenistan and non-Turkic Tajikistan, with the joint declaration saying that all five countries “reaffirmed our strong commitment” to United Nations security council resolutions 541 and 550.

Resolution 541 said the security council “deplores the declaration of the Turkish Cypriot authorities of the purported secession of part of the Republic of Cyprus” while calling on UN member states not to recognise the north.

Resolution 550 said it “reiterates the call upon all states not to recognise the purported state of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’, set up by secessionist acts, and calls upon them not to facilitate or in any way assist the aforesaid secessionist entity”.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus had said on Monday night that Turkey “did not expect” the declaration to be signed, and that “we were greatly disappointed”.

However, he said, “I think they will make up for this in the near future”, before adding that they had “understood the sensitivities of the issue” and that “God willing, we hope that then necessary measures will be taken”.

Opposition political party CHP leader Ozgur Ozel had said the joint declaration’s signing was evidence of a “collapse” of Turkish foreign policy, and even claimed that the status of Cyprus was a key part of a deal brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United States President Donald Trump to allow the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu last month.