Türkiye hosts 13th OTS summit to further ‘unity in language, thought, deed’

Summit to be hosted by Turkish President Erdogan in Ankara on Oct. 29-30 under the theme Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought, and Deed

Türkiye is set to host the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) to further “unity in language, thought, and deed” among its member states. The summit, to be held on Thursday and Friday in the Turkish capital Ankara, will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, under the theme Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Deed. Established in 2009, the OTS, formerly known as the Turkic Council, adopted its current name during its eighth summit held in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul in 2021. While Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan are members, Turkmenistan, Hungary, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and the Economic Cooperation Organization hold observer status. The organization said on Oct. 24 that the summit will bring together the heads of state of its member states, as well as high-level representatives from observer states and its secretary general, to “discuss the current state and future prospects of cooperation within the Organization,” among other issues. It said in a statement that the heads of state are expected to review the progress achieved across the OTS’ priority areas, and that particular emphasis will be placed on “further strengthening unity and solidarity” among the Turkic states and advancing cooperation under the Turkic World Vision 2040. It added that the summit will also mark Türkiye’s assumption of the OTS’ chairmanship from Azerbaijan, and is expected to address the appointment of a new secretary general and the organization’s strategic priorities “for the forthcoming period.” “The Heads of State are expected to adopt the Ankara Declaration, together with a number of decisions and documents aimed at deepening cooperation and further strengthening the institutional framework of the OTS,” it added. The leaders’ summit will be held Friday, and a meeting of the organization's Council of Foreign Ministers will take place on Thursday.   ‘Unity in deed’ Turan Gafarli, a non-resident fellow at the Baku-based Topchubashov Center, defined support among Turkic states and bolstering their political solidarity as the significant aspect of the Ankara summit. Noting that they are living through a period in which the world faces “increasing uncertainty,” Gafarli told Anadolu that the Turkic world is evolving into a political structure that is “developing the capacity to act in unison in the face of international developments.” “Naturally, this is a long-term process. Yet, the true meaning of brotherhood is not just coming together during good times, but standing by one another during difficult ones,” he said, noting his belief that the summit in Türkiye will further solidify the “atmosphere of trust built to date.” Gafarli highlighted the term of unity used in the summit’s theme as “highly significant,” as well as expressed belief that the summit will give momentum to developments particularly in the realms of economic relations, transport corridors, and political coordination. He stated the growing strategic importance of the Middle Corridor presented a “historic opportunity” for the Turkic states to become more closely interconnected economically, but that this requires a number of steps, including bolstering trade between member states. “Furthermore, it is essential that the Turkic states engage in closer consultation on international issues and advocate more robustly for their shared interests,” he also said, adding he believes Türkiye’s chairmanship could bring fresh dynamism in this context. Meanwhile, Shairbek Dzhuraev, the president of the Crossroads Central Asia research institute based in Bishkek, shared the belief that tangible progress has been observed most evidently in the economic sphere, underlining transport and transit in particular. “The development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route depends on the harmonization of tariffs and the simplification of customs procedures. In this context, results can be measured by the time and cost involved in transporting goods,” Dzhuraev said. Dzhuraev further underlined digitalization as a second promising area, which he defined as the focus of the organization’s informal summit held in Turkistan in southern Kazakhstan in May. “The most substantial outcome of the Ankara summit would be the establishment of concrete timelines and mechanisms for implementing decisions already reached – particularly those concerning transport and trade,” he stated. As part of the OTS Ankara summit, sports is also an area where unity is expected to be shown “in deed.” During a news conference in Ankara ahead of the summit, Kursad Zorlu, the Justice and Development (AK) Party's deputy chair in charge of relations with Turkic states, said the event includes plans for players from Turkic states to be classified as domestic rather than foreign in one another’s leagues, saying the initiative would foster a football ecosystem across the Turkic world.