The 11th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), formerly known as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States or the Turkic Council, took place in the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic on November 5-6, 2024. A number of crucial agreements were reached during the summit, and numerous memoranda were signed.
Economic integration, sustainable development, collective security, the digital future, and the Turkic world were among the primary topics on the summit’s agenda. The summit concluded with the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration, the signature of long-term agreements, and the approval of a variety of resolutions and protocols. Bishkek was designated as the digital capital of the Organization of Turkic States for 2025, which was one of the significant decisions.
Furthermore, several noteworthy resolutions were adopted, such as:
- The Charter of the Turkic World was adopted.
- The signing of a memorandum regarding the establishment of the Council of Turkic Central Banks.
- The “Turkic Green Vision: Unity for a Sustainable Future” has been approved.
- The signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding the development of the OTS Grand Turkic Language Model.
- The “OTS Civil Protection Mechanism” was established after the five member states—Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan—signed an agreement. It is important to mention that Hungary and Turkmenistan maintain observer status.
Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, and Uzbek, in addition to English, are the official languages of the OTS.
The OTS and Turkey’s Growing Influence
Experts need to conduct an in-depth review of Turkey’s efforts to unite Turkic peoples and territories through the OTS, TURKSOY, and other institutions, in conjunction with the Bishkek Summit agenda. The organization, which is becoming more “Turkocentric” in its approach, seems to be exceeding its limits in grand politics, to capture the minds of Eurasian people.
What is the rationale behind Turkey’s pursuit of this agenda? Esen Usubaliyev, a PhD in history and director of the Institute for Political Studies in Bishkek, is a specialist in international relations. His analysis can be found to provide the answer.
For a long time, Turkic integration processes were subordinated to more consequential developments in Central Asia, including the Belt and Road Initiative of China and the Eurasian Economic Integration Projects, as well as the more extensive activities of external actors in the region.
Nevertheless, it would be a grave error to presume that these “background initiatives” were ineffective. Conversely, Ankara’s targeted promotion of Turkic integration, in conjunction with shared linguistic and cultural values, has garnered traction among specific segments of Central Asian societies. The appeal of a collective identity that unites the vast Turkic world under a singular, convenient framework, fostering a sense of belonging to something greater than just geographically proximate states, may be partially responsible for this.
Turkey’s Economic and Geopolitical Motives
In addition to ideological motivations, Turkey’s initiatives to transform the South Caucasus and Central Asia are strategically enmeshed in historical, cultural, and linguistic narratives.
Ankara recognizes that its geographic location is essential for the transportation of energy resources from Central Asia to global markets, particularly those in Europe. In addition, Turkey regards the movement of products from China to Europe as a critical opportunity to achieve its long-standing aspiration of becoming a transportation and energy hub.
Nevertheless, the primary impediment to these aspirations is the absence of funding for large-scale projects, including the Middle Corridor and gas transportation plans across the Caspian Sea. Simultaneously, Turkey’s deteriorating economic circumstances have resulted in significant domestic tension as a result of the substantial expenditures on OTS initiatives and other expansionist projects in the Middle East.
In the interim, Russia and China, the main actors that have an impact on these Eurasian projects, are acutely aware of these dynamics and are not in a hurry to lend their support to Turkey’s regional aspirations. They comprehend the potential hazards associated with Ankara’s increasing influence.
Turkey’s failure to achieve tangible economic outcomes in Central Asia, as per Usubaliyev, is compelling it to pursue nationalist and other initiatives that do not contribute to regional stability and integration, but rather result in fragmentation. It is important to note that Turkey has excluded Tajikistan, a critical component of the region, from its frameworks of cooperation. It is crucial to bear in mind that the development of what is now referred to as “Turkic culture” would have been unthinkable without Persian influence.
The OTS’s Cultural and Identity Crisis
The distinctive cultural, religious, and linguistic topography of Central Asia and the South Caucasus is the result of the symbiosis of Persian and Turkic cultures. Nevertheless, Turkey is making an effort to forcibly alter this historical dynamic to align with its political and ideological objectives.
This raises concerns regarding the cultural sovereignty of OTS member states. Central Asia’s cultural diversity is clearly endangered by efforts to homogenize shared cultural heritage and redefine long-established historical and linguistic narratives.
The Turkic world is depicted by Turkey as an exclusive refuge of Turkic peoples, a one-sided perspective. However, the Turkic world has historically been a site of interaction between Turkic, Slavic, Persian, Arab, Chinese, and other civilizations.
In other words, Turkey’s perspective on the Turkic world is an artificial construct that aims to isolate and extricate a “pure essence” of Turkic culture from the broader Eurasian context. In actuality, this results in a distorted representation of Turkic heritage.
Ankara’s approach appears to disregard two significant cultural centers that have had a substantial impact on Turkic civilization:
The Altai region is regarded as the ancestral homeland of the Turkic peoples.
In the Turkic world, Persia is a fundamental spiritual, religious, and educational pillar.
The Turkic world is perceived by Turkey as distinct from the realities of Central Asia and Eurasia as a whole due to its disassociation from these historical influences.