Residents of OTS member states can leave their passports at home — an ID card will suffice

Citizens of Kyrgyzstan and other member states of the Organisation of Turkic States may be permitted to travel between countries using only their identity cards, without the need for a foreign passport.

This was announced by Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Turkic States, in a statement to the Azerbaijani news agency APA.

According to him, work is currently underway to ensure that this travel arrangement applies between Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Citizens of Turkey and Azerbaijan can already cross the border using an identity card without a passport. The OTS aims to extend this facility to other member states.

“We can do this not only with one country, but together,” Omuraliev noted.

According to the Secretary-General, the issue is on the OTC’s agenda, and work on the draft is continuing. The organisation hopes to complete the work as soon as possible.

The OTC comprises Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan has observer status.