Once again, Türk dünyası demonstrated its growing geopolitical significance. This year’s Summit of the Heads of State reignited hopes for the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) to build upon cultural ties and become a proper political bloc. Leaders of the Turkic states convened in Gabala, Azerbaijan, to share optimistic messages and reinforce common goals for the future of the OTS. However, the question remains whether the OTS can back words of brotherhood with coordinated, concrete action. With an emphasis on Turkic heritage, its place in the Greater Caspian Region also differs from those of other platforms, like the C5+1. In the end, Gabala reinforced that the leaders of the Turkic world hope to overcome challenges and transform the OTS into a cohesive organization that not only interests other states but also supports regional alignment on multiple fronts.

History of the OTS and Recent Action

The OTS’ current member states are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Türkiye, while Hungary, Turkmenistan, and Northern Cyprus are observers. Much of the basis for building the OTS stems from sentiments of pan-Turkism and desires to strengthen political and economic cooperation. In 2006, former Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed the idea of a commonwealth consisting of Turkic-speaking states. This led to the formation of the OTS, formerly known as the Turkic Council, in 2009.

Over the years, it has aimed to achieve common goals on culture, economy, and security. In the cultural sphere, the OTS seeks to unify Turkic-speaking nations by recognizing the strength of shared lingual roots. In that vein, the OTS sought to create a common Latin alphabet across Turkic nations, and this was achieved in 2024 after final approval from the Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission. About national languages, Latinization has found greater success in certain countries, such as Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Meanwhile, efforts to fully transition from Cyrillic to Latin script have been slower in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, while Kyrgyzstan, so far, has little interest in Latinization.

Meanwhile, Turkic states aim to strengthen their connectivity and intraorganizational investment. East-West connectivity along the Middle Corridor has been enhanced by the establishment of transport and logistics links, such as the Baku-Ceyhan-Tbilisi Pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway. To support further organizational projects, the Turkic Investment Fund (TIF) entered force in 2024, with OTS members pledging $600 million in capital. 

Furthermore, Türkiye has sought to establish itself as the leader of the Turkic world, taking the lead on expanding Turkic cultural and economic cooperation. Ankara has increased economic investment into Turkic states, expanding its soft power by establishing schools and mosques. Türkiye has also signed military technology agreements with Central Asian states, such as supplying drones to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In July 2025, Türkiye hosted the OTS’ first Meeting of the Heads of Defense Industry Institutions in Istanbul.

At Gabala 

This year's summit under the theme of “Regional Peace and Security” was concluded with the 14-page Gabala Declaration that contains 121 points. The parties discuss cooperation in a wide range of areas: from economics and trade and investment cooperation, with an emphasis on the development of the Middle Corridor, to border security and cyberspace protection, as Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed creating a Cybersecurity Council to counter the "new threat that knows no borders." 

The organization also intensifies efforts to enhance regional connectivity, with Azerbaijan emerging as a pivotal hub in this initiative.  President Ilham Aliyev once again emphasized the significance of the Washington summit with Armenia held last August, particularly regarding the opening of what he refers to as the Zangezur Corridor, a term that is not favorably received by Armenia. The corridor, which would connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave, aims to facilitate unhindered movement of goods and people, thereby strengthening ties within the Turkic world. For Azerbaijan, the opportunity to both host the summit and to receive chairmanship could not have come at a more opportune time, considering that its potential of expanding the Middle Corridor’s throughput in the South Caucasus has presented the Turkic world with a new opportunity.

President Tokayev also highlighted the need to increase cooperation in the transport and logistics sector between member states in the framework of the Turkic World Vision 2040 program. He highlighted Kazakhstan's strategic position as a Eurasian transit hub, with multiple international transport corridors passing through the country, and proposed the creation of a unified digital transport and logistics center to integrate national infrastructure plans and facilitate AI-driven modernization. 

Among other things, the leaders agreed to begin cooperation in the defense industry and in energy and communications, as well as in the extraction of essential minerals. President Aliyev invited member states to hold a joint military exercise in Azerbaijan in 2026 as a step toward deeper defense integration. While the proposal aims to strengthen defense ties, reactions from other member states remain to be seen, as they assess the implications of such military collaboration within the context of regional security dynamics. Considering Kazakhstan’s and Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the  Russia-led CSTO and NATO member Türkiye, further integration of OTS as a more integrated bloc faces several constraints. 

In line with the organization’s growing ambitions, the OTS+ concept was introduced for the first time. President Tokayev supported the idea of establishing an OTS+ format to expand cooperation and global visibility. However, the status of the observer Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) remains questionable, because member states have not yet displayed direct support to its full membership in OTS. During the 10th OTS summit in Astana, Kazakhstan refused to extend any invitation to the TRNC that had already become an observer in the organization. In addition, since 2020, Central Asian states have established their embassies in the Republic of Cyprus and exposed a surprising drift away from Turkish influence. 

The lack of support to Turkic Cypriots shows that the organization relies largely on economic pragmatism rather than ethnic idealism. Covering 4.5 million square kilometers, with over 160 million people and a combined GDP of about $2.1 trillion, the Turkic world has great potential for mutually beneficial economic growth and cooperation. A shared history as well as linguistic and cultural roots unite the OTS like a family. However, even with the strong focus on trade and investment, building closer institutional ties among Turkic states also carries important geopolitical consequences and national interest considerations.

Hopes and Limits to Further Action

Gabala reignited hopes for the OTS to become a true political bloc, but challenges do remain in enhancing the cultural ties the organization is built on. On the one hand, the OTS has demonstrated clear progress in achieving its cultural goals. Cultural summits bring together the Turkic states, and a book from Kyrgyz author, Chingiz Aitmatov, was recently published in the common Turkic alphabet. On the other hand, the OTS faces on-going struggles in the Greater Caspian Region in determining which parties should attain either member or observer status. For example, Turkmenistan remains an observer state in the OTS, but it is a member of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, TURKSOY, that also includes Turkic-majority republics in Russia as observers.

Naturally, the OTS also excludes non-Turkic neighbors like Armenia, Georgia, and Tajikistan, limiting its potential in broadening regional connectivity. As different instruments led by foreign powers, like the C5+1 platforms and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), no single, unified platform exists for all eight states of the Greater Caspian Region. Given the OTS’ emphasis on shared heritage, it, too, will likely fail to fill this gap or overcome organizational overlap. 

Overall, the Gabala summit reaffirmed the Turkic world’s commitment to enhancing multisectoral cooperation and improving its geopolitical salience. This year, the OTS has identified proper areas of optimism and focus, like the TRIPP Corridor and modernization along the Middle Corridor. It has also taken a step in the right direction by supporting the TIF, as it aims to boost its capital to $1 billion by 2026 and $3 billion by 2030. The question that remains is whether this investment will produce any concrete projects and, if so, if these projects will work to truly enhance interstate economic partnerships. For the OTS to move beyond soft-power plays and cultural dialogue, it will need sufficient financial backing to execute its lofty goals and concrete action to overcome individual and competing interests within.