The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS) met in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Thursday to discuss efforts to expand economic cooperation through transportation and energy projects.

Yesterday’s summit of leaders of the four Turkic-speaking countries in the CCTS (Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan) was the second meeting to bring together senior officials of all of these countries.

The first meeting of the CCTS was held over Oct. 20-21, in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan, in line with the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Caucasus and the Central Asian Turkic republics.

Founded in Azerbaijan's province of Nakhichevan in 2009, the CCTS consists of four Turkic countries - Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Two other Turkic states, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are not currently official members of the council due to their neutral stance, but they are likely to join in the future.