Minister Işıkhan Held Bilateral Meetings During the OECD 2026 Skills Summit

Prof. Dr. Vedat Işıkhan, Minister of Labour and Social Security, held bilateral meetings during the OECD 2026 Skills Summit, which took place at the Istanbul Haliç Congress Center.

Minister Işıkhan held a bilateral meeting with Kubanıçbek Ömüraliyev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, within the scope of the summit hosted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

During the meeting, Işıkhan stated that strengthening the international visibility of the Organization of Turkic States is one of Türkiye's primary objectives.

Noting that the second meeting of the Ministers responsible for Labour, Employment, and Social Protection will be held in Istanbul in November following Tükiye’s assumption of the Organization of Turkic States’ term presidency, Işıkhan emphasized the importance of cooperation in the initiatives to be carried out during the term presidency.

Minister Işıkhan also added that he plans to visit the Secretary-General’s office in the upcoming period.

Işıkhan then held a bilateral meeting with Yasumasa Nagasaka, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan.

Noting that relations between Türkiye and Japan continue to flourish on the basis of mutual trust and deep-rooted bonds of friendship, Minister Işıkhan added, “We would like to reflect the strong momentum in our commercial relations with the same determination in the areas of working life and social security”.

Minister Işıkhan subsequently held a bilateral meeting with Matias Marttınen, Minister of Employment of Finland. During the meeting, he noted that Finland is a country that have successfully integrated its education quality with active workforce market policies, and added: “I firmly believe that the strategies you have developed to address demographic change and the twin transitions (digital and green) will contribute significantly to the discussions during the summit".

Işıkhan noted that he attaches great importance to deepening cooperation between Türkiye and Finland in terms of employment, social security, and working life, and emphasized that cooperation in the field of social security has long been one of the key priorities on the agenda.