Opinion | Turkic Council rebranding reflects Turkey’s hopes to broaden ties in Asia

On November 12, the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States – in short, the Turkic Council – renamed itself the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) at its 8th summit in Istanbul. As this rebranding has aroused much interest in international public opinion, I would like to lay down what the organisation is and how it fits Turkey’s foreign policy priorities.

With its five members (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey) and two observers (Hungary and Turkmenistan), the OTS is built on the 2009 Nakhchivan Agreement establishing the Turkic Council and reaffirming the Turkic states’ adherence to the UN Charter and the norms of international law, including sovereign equality, territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognised borders of states.

Since 2009, eight summits have been held, focusing on various themes like connectivity, youth, SMEs and, recently, green technologies and smart cities. Though its name has changed, the primary task of the organisation remains the same: strengthening mutual confidence and good neighbourliness among its members, never to the detriment of other regional countries. The OTS has an inclusive approach and is not involved in ethnicity-based politics among its members or in third countries.

The OTS can be deemed unique among regional organisations, given that it brings together a Nato member (Turkey), a European Union member (Hungary), two members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) and a state upholding permanent neutrality (Turkmenistan) under its umbrella without causing any contradictions among them or in the international system.

What unites both members and observers is language, i.e. the most deep-seated aspect of civilisation that makes dialogue and understanding easier and smoother, compared to other areas of cooperation such as economic interests and security concerns.