ANKARA
AA photo.
Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) gathered in Ankara on Oct. 30 as Türkiye took over the group’s chairmanship from Azerbaijan, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calling for closer cooperation.
The 13th summit opened at the Presidential Complex under the theme “Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Deed.”
Erdoğan said there was no room for division or discord among Turkic states.
“We are one, we are united,” he said, calling for closer cultural ties and easier travel between their countries.
He urged stronger contacts with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an OTS observer, and said he hoped Turkmenistan would soon become a full member.
On regional issues, Erdoğan called for renewed tensions involving Iran to be addressed through diplomacy and urged Turkic states to do more to secure a just resolution of the Palestinian issue.
He said members should help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and begin reconstruction as soon as possible. He also reiterated support for Azerbaijan’s talks with Armenia.
Erdoğan highlighted the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor as a strategic trade route and proposed a joint digital trade platform linking member states’ markets.
He called for a cybersecurity cooperation agreement to be signed and implemented soon, faster progress on a joint satellite project and contributions to a shared artificial intelligence language model covering Turkic languages.
Leaders were expected to adopt the Ankara Declaration and discuss the appointment of a new secretary-general, alongside measures to strengthen the organization and advance cooperation under its Turkic World Vision 2040.
Ahead of the summit, Erdoğan met Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Oct. 29.
The two countries signed five agreements covering trade, social security and business cooperation.
Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan later hosted visiting leaders and their spouses at a dinner marking the republic’s 103rd anniversary, where he presented Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov with the Supreme Order of the Turkic World.
Founded in 2009 as the Turkic Council and renamed in 2021, the OTS comprises Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Hungary, Turkmenistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Economic Cooperation Organization hold observer status.