On October 30, leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will gather in Ankara for their 13th summit. Held under the theme “Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought, and Deed,” the meeting will focus on expanding cooperation in trade, transport connectivity, digital transformation, culture, and politics. Leaders will also select a new secretary general to guide the organization through its next chapter.
The OTS is an intergovernmental organization that serves as the main platform for cooperation among the Turkic-speaking countries of Eurasia. Then-Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev first proposed the idea in 2006. Three years later, the Turkic Council was established, and in 2021 it became the Organization of Turkic States. Today, it has five members—Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan—and three observers: Turkmenistan, Hungary, and the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Together, OTS member states and observers represent about 180 million people and a combined GDP exceeding $2.4 trillion. Together, this would make the Turkic states the world’s 11th-largest economy. These countries are also rich in natural resources and critical minerals, accounting for more than 45 percent of global uranium production (largely in Kazakhstan). Taken as a bloc, the OTS is the world’s third-largest energy provider.