An informal summit of the heads of state of the Organization of
Turkic States was held today in the Kazakh city of Turkestan with
the participation of President Ilham Aliyev.
The event attracted considerable attention not only across the
Turkic world, but also from the broader international community.
This growing interest reflects several important geopolitical
trends, most notably the gradual transformation of the OTS into one
of the most promising centers of regional cooperation across
Eurasia amid the deepening crisis of traditional global governance
mechanisms.
In recent years, the Organization of Turkic States has
significantly expanded its agenda beyond cultural and humanitarian
cooperation. Today, the organization increasingly focuses on
economic integration, transport connectivity, energy security,
logistics, digitalization and coordinated geopolitical
dialogue.
Against the backdrop of global instability, sanctions,
disruptions in supply chains and growing competition over
international transport routes, the importance of regional
integration mechanisms has sharply increased. In this context, the
OTS is attempting to position itself as a pragmatic platform
capable of connecting Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Europe
through mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
“Today, the international standing of the Organization of
Turkic States is growing, and its role and position in global
affairs are strengthening,” said President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev during his speech at the informal Summit of the Heads of
State of the Organization of Turkic States held in Turkistan.
The Turkic bloc occupies more than 4.25 million square
kilometers and is home to roughly 160 million people. Collectively,
these countries command significant energy resources, transport
corridors, and geopolitical leverage across Eurasia. In recent
years, the OTS has increasingly positioned itself not only as a
cultural initiative but as a strategic actor in regional
politics.
The current geopolitical environment – marked by shifting
alignments due to global power rivalries, energy transitions, and
new connectivity projects – gives the OTS greater potential
influence. The Middle Corridor initiative, linking China to Europe
via the Caspian region and Türkiye, places OTS members at the heart
of Eurasian trade reconfiguration. Through coordinated transport
and customs strategies, OTS nations could become a critical bridge
between East and West.
The OTS maintains an active dialogue with major international
organizations, including the United Nations, OSCE, Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, and the World Customs Organization.
In a comment for AzerNEWS, a Professor of
Erzincan Binali Yilidirim University Ainur Nogayeva said that it is
important to note that the foundation of what is today known as the
Organization of Turkic States was laid precisely in Nakhchivan in
2009.
“Nakhchivan became the starting point for the creation of a new
union of the Turkic world. At that time, the presidents of
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye agreed to establish
the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, and later this
structure transformed into the Organization of Turkic States,” she
noted.
As Nogayeva highlighted, Baku today is one of the locomotives of
the OTS not only in the political dimension, but above all in
transport, energy and logistics.
If, for example, Türkiye acts as the industrial and military
center of the Turkic space, and Kazakhstan as the resource and
transit giant of Central Asia, then Azerbaijan is becoming the main
“bridge” between Central Asia, the Caucasus and Europe.
“As for practical steps, they are connected first of all with
the Middle Corridor. The route from China to Europe through
Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and
further to Europe is an important link. President Ilham Aliyev
directly called the Middle Corridor a “catalyst for regional
economic growth and integration,” an expert emphasized.
What is Azerbaijan doing in this regard? It is modernizing the
Port of Baku and expanding railway infrastructure, focusing
attention on the development of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway,
digitalization of customs and logistics, as well as creating joint
logistics mechanisms with Kazakhstan and Georgia.
Regarding which sectors of the Azerbaijani economy will be most
affected in the future by cooperation and knowledge exchange within
OTS forums, energy integration should first be mentioned.
According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy, tens of millions
of tons of oil from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have been exported
through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan Pipeline, while tens of billions of
cubic meters of gas are supplied through Türkiye to Europe.
Nogayeva said that Azerbaijan is turning into an energy hub and
transit node, as well as a “backup route” for Europe outside
Russia.
The second important new direction is green energy. Within the
framework of the OTS, discussions are underway on the export of
green electricity, the creation of a unified energy market, and the
establishment of an energy bridge linking Central Asia, Azerbaijan,
Türkiye and Europe.
This is especially important in light of decarbonization, EU
climate policy and beyond, as well as growing electricity
consumption by data centers and artificial intelligence
technologies.
According to the expert, the sectors expected to benefit the
most in Azerbaijan are logistics and transportation, as the country
continues to increase transit revenues while expanding ports,
railway networks, warehouse infrastructure and digital logistics
systems.
Against the backdrop of the energy crisis, Europe is interested
in diversifying supplies, while Azerbaijan is becoming one of the
few stable routes outside Russia and Iran, Nogayeva added.
The analyst also emphasized that current OTS forums increasingly
focus on practical issues such as digitalization and artificial
intelligence.
“If previously Turkic cooperation was mainly cultural and
humanitarian, now the center of gravity is shifting toward
economics, transit, energy, investments and technologies,” she
stated.
A. Nogayeva also stressed that the importance of the Middle
Corridor increased significantly after the beginning of the war in
Ukraine, sanctions and crises in global supply chains.
“The OTS is trying to create an alternative route outside
Russia, partially outside Iran, with access to Europe and China.
That is why interest in the corridor is growing both from the
European Union and from China” she explained.
The expert further underlined that OTS forums also have
practical diplomatic significance.
“The forums create direct contacts between ministries, joint
projects, investment platforms, coordination of infrastructure and
energy agreements. Diplomacy is becoming not declarative, but
infrastructural,” Nogayeva said.
Nogayeva added that the Turkic states oppose bloc thinking and
focus attention on urgent global challenges that require immediate
solutions rather than confrontation.
As President Ilham Aliyev stated during his speech at the summit
in Turkistan, “The Turkic world, which is our family,
should become one of the influential geopolitical centers of power
of the 21st century.”