Why China, Russia ‘should keep a close eye’ on upgraded Turkic Council

Name: Leaked state documents describe repressive operations at China’s detention camps in Xinjiang
Uploaded: 2021-11-28T04:00:20.000Z
Duration: 3 min 47 s
Description: Leaked state documents describe repressive operations at China’s detention camps in Xinjiang

The group of Turkic-speaking countries, renamed the Organisation of Turkic States, says it wants to boost security cooperation and promote trade

Turkey’s active role could allow Central Asian nations to balance their reliance on China and Russia, experts say

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Leaders of Turkic Council countries met in Istanbul this month. Photo: EPA-EFE

Minnie Chan

Published: 12:00pm, 28 Nov 2021

China and Russia should monitor a Turkey-led move to upgrade Turkic-speaking states’ cooperation into a political unit that could weaken Beijing’s and Moscow’s influence in Central Asia, experts said.

The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, also known as the Turkic Council, has changed its name to the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), which some view as boosting unity between them.

The group includes Turkey – which is home to its general secretariat, in Istanbul – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, along with observer states Turkmenistan and Hungary.

Its announcement said member countries would enhance cooperation on combating international terrorism, separatism, extremism and cross-border crime, as well as promote trade and investment in the region.

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Leaked state documents describe repressive operations at China’s detention camps in Xinjiang

Pan Zhiping, head of the Central Asian Studies Institute at the Xinjiang Academy in Urumqi, last week told a Chinese state website that the OTS’ roots – in a movement aimed at the cultural and political unification of all Turkic people – added to the Chinese government’s fears about Turkic-speaking ethnic groups in China.